Ash's Just Reward
by The Warmongers of Simora
Summary: Ash has done a lot in his life. Despite being only 15, he has saved the world more times than is funny and had helped everyone he has come across. Now, in the Alola Region, he just wants to relax and have fun in the Pokémon school. However, when the Legends of the world begin to congregate to the Alola Region, all with the intent of finding him, how will he deal with it?
1. Chapter 1

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 1**

This story is set before Ash and the Alola crew go off to Kanto, and the events that happened from that episode onwards basically don't happen to allow this story to happen. Instead, Ash is just chilling and enjoying life when a bunch of wacky stuff begins happening to him. Some of it good, some of it bad, all of it meant in good intentions. Expect appearances from old characters, legendaries, mythical Pokémon, Ash getting the recognition he deserves and general hilarity.

* * *

On Melemele Island, in the Alola region, there is currently a trainer who has seen many great things and saved many people and Pokémon. A trainer who is friend to all and a champion for good for as long as he can remember. Someone who helps all he comes across, from the smallest creatures to the ones who are akin to Gods.

This trainer is Ash Ketchum, and he is currently enjoying having some time to relax. For you see, the usually busy trainer has decided to take it easy, going to the Pokémon school ran by Professor Kukui and Samson Oak (professor Oak's cousin) to learn about the various Alolan Pokémon.

This is considered relaxing for him because for once, he's not travelling the region, battling gyms, aiming to challenge the Pokémon League, and getting into all kinds of trouble involving the various Legendary Pokémon of the world. Now, don't get Ash wrong, he enjoys travelling across the various regions, and he enjoys being able to meet several rare Pokémon, but it can be stressful. Being forced into several dangerous situations where his life is at risk, being a champion of the Gods (as pretentious though it sounds, it's fairly accurate), and just generally trying to be a good person to everyone he comes across: no matter how much they act like a douche to him, is exhausting.

So, this time, in Alola, he's kicking back. He's for the most part staying in one location, he's making friends with nice people who got along with him, he's not aiming to challenge a league and just battling people for fun. And so far, it's been nice. While he has seemed to catch the attention of two local Legendary Pokémon; Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele, but they mostly just seem really curious about him. Which consider that he's met pretty much every Legendary in every region he's been in, he doesn't blame them to be overly curious about him.

Apart from that curiousness, nothing had really happened. Team Rocket were still annoying him, but at this point, Ash doubted that would ever change. He was having fun messing around, learning new things, and just generally being a kid for once. He had no real obligations, no real goal, just to have fun with his new friends.

And he had made quite a few of them. From the Pokémon school, he's met Lillie; someone who was incapable of touching Pokémon but is slowly overcoming her fear, now being able to touch Ash's Pikachu and Snowy, her Alolan Vulpix. He's met Kiawe, an overly serious but pretty cool trainer, who's been helping Ash learn about Z-Moves and how to use them, and his Turtonator. He's met Lana, a mischievous prankster who was also a fan of the ocean and water type Pokémon (much like Ash's old friend Misty), and her partner Popplio. He's met Mallow, an eccentric cook who loved to try new things, and her partner Steenee. And finally, he's met Sophocles, a quirky inventor, and his partner Togedemaru.

Ash has also made new friends in the form of Pokémon, as he has caught three new Pokémon while in Alola, all of them being valued additions to his team. He caught Rowlet, a Grass-Flying type starter Pokémon who has a tendency to fall asleep, sometimes even before an important battle. He caught a Rockruff who loved to fight, challenging opponents much stronger than itself in order to get stronger (which was part of the reason why he and Ash got along so well). He later evolved into a Dusk-form Lycanroc, one of the first of its kind according to the experts Ash knew (not that it mattered to him), and has now gotten even stronger. And finally, he caught Litten, an outcast who refused to be pushed around.

These new friends, plus Ash's long-time best friend Pikachu, have been having a great time at the Pokémon school. And Ash has no interest in getting involved in any large-scale drama, not for at least a couple more months.

It's such a shame for him then, that it would seem that trouble, and several Legendaries, were making their way to Alola, with the sole intent of seeking him out.

* * *

 **Hall of Origin, Spear Pillar, Sinnoh**

Arceus had a hell of a headache.

Here she was, hosting a meeting in order to discuss an issue that has been on the minds of several of the Legendaries, including herself, for a long time, in what she had hoped was an orderly manner.

Oh, what a mistake that train of thought was.

Here she was, in the presence of some of the most powerful and ancient creatures in the world after herself, and it was more akin to a bunch of arguing toddlers than wise and knowledgeable beings.

Surveying over the scene, Arceus could feel a migraine coming in.

All of the world's Legendaries were currently present, shouting and threatening one another as they tried to reach a consensus. On her right, Arceus spotted the Beast Trio; Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, arguing with the Bird Trio; Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. She couldn't quite tell what they were saying, but she got the general gist that they didn't agree. On her left, she spotted the Tower Duo; Ho-oh and Lugia, arguing with the Tao Trio; Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem, with the two groups threatening to come to blows with one another. Arceus also could have sworn that he saw Kyogre and Groudon on the verge of fighting, but that seemed to happen whenever the two were in the same room as one another.

The only Legendaries that didn't seem to be causing any trouble was a small group that were residing near where Arceus was currently watching over the proceedings. This group consisted of Mewtwo, one of the newer additions to the Legendary line-up and a powerful but reclusive individual, Celebi, the time-travelling guardian of the Forrest, Latias, the lone protector of Altomare and the Soul Dew, Mew, a cheerful and playful Pokémon who was one of the oldest in the room, a young Manaphy, the prince of the seas, a shy Shaymin, a travelling protector of nature, and finally Keledo, the youngest member of the Swords of Justice. These legendaries were waiting quietly and patiently for the more abrasive Legendaries to settle down, something that Arceus greatly appreciated.

They seemed to be the only ones trying to act like the powerful and wise forces of nature that they were. The rest were simply being embarrassing.

Deciding enough was enough, Arceus stepped forward, and began taking a deep breath, before unleashing its powerful voice.

" **ENOUGH!"**

And just like that, the rest of the Legendaries seemed to remember just who they were in the presence of, and began calming down to allow Arceus to talk. She was the one who summoned them after all.

" **I understand that many of you are very passionate about this issue, but we must deal with this properly. That means that we must take into account everything that they've done, and decide what the proper course of action is."**

This earned her a number of nods from the various Legendaries, most of them agreeing outright with this statement.

" **So, the question remains: How shall we reward Ash Ketchum for the deeds he has done, not only for many of us in this room, but for the Pokémon world?"** Arceus questioned, bringing everyone's attention to the main reason for why they were here in the first place.

Yes, after five years of travelling the world and saving pretty much everyone and everything he came across, the Legendaries of the world had seen it fit to reward Ash for everything he had done. After saving the Kalos region from Lysander and Team Flare, many of the Legendaries who heard about his involvement began reflecting on how Ash had helped many of them in the past, from either minor problems caused by silly things to threats to the entire world. It was during this reflection that they made a startling revelation: Ash had never been rewarded.

For so many years he had been stumbling into their problems, and then going out of his way to help them, risking his own life for their sake. In one case, he had actually **died** , giving his own life for others (even if he didn't remember doing it). All these heroic actions done purely from the goodness of his heart, and not once had he ever been given more than a simple 'Thank you', which was something you'd say to someone who had done you a favour: not someone who had saved your life and the lives of everyone on the planet.

So, Arceus had decided to host a meeting, in which the several Legendaries that Ash had helped could discuss what would be a good reward for someone who had done so much for them in the past.

However, this was not as simple as they once thought, as no one could reach a consensus on what would be a good enough reward for the fifteen-year-old, one that was proportionate to the things he had done.

" **So, does anyone have any suggestions? I'm open to all ideas?"** Arceus coaxed, hoping to get a decent response from the gathered Pokémon.

This was when everyone present began shuffling on their feet, or whatever appendages they had for limbs, as they debated whether or not their idea for a reward was worth throwing out to the assembled Pokémon.

Plucking up her courage, Latias floated forward and cleared her throat.

"I think that it would be nice if we could let him catch us. That and I think it'd be kinda cool to be able to travel with him and that." She timidly put forward, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

And this led to another outburst as a lot of the Legendaries began arguing about the merits or problems with this idea. Those in favour tried arguing that Ash wouldn't abuse their power and would make a good companion, while those against began arguing how they had too many obligations to be tied down to a trainer, no matter what he had done for them.

Sighing again, Arceus slammed her hoof into the floor to silence everyone.

" **ENOUGH! Thank you Latias for the suggestion, that's certainly something to keep in circulation. Does anyone else have any ideas?"**

Nodding her thanks, Latias shirked back, allowing someone else to step up and try to suggest an idea of a suitable reward.

The assembled Legendaries began internally debating what would be a suitable reward, and what would be too much.

Surprisingly, Zekrom stepped forth, with the intent of putting forward an idea.

"We could teach his Pokémon the ancient techniques of the Legendaries. His partner Pikachu would be a most worthy recipient of the knowledge for Fusion Bolt."

And that caused another uproar between the Legendaries that had such moves, with many of them demanding to know why Zekrom thought that the sharing of such knowledge could ever be allowed.

'Clearly, we're not going to reach a mutual understanding today, are we?' Arceus thought to herself as she watched another argument break out. And that was when she had an idea.

" **Silence!"** Arceus boomed out, stopping the arguments again before they escalated. Now with everyone's attention on her, Arceus gave her decree.

" **Since we clearly cannot reach a common consensus of what we're to do, here is what I'm going to do. I am giving all of you free reign to reward Ash as you please. If you feel that the suitable reward for him is to pass on your ancient knowledge, then pass it on as you please. If you feel that allowing him to have the privilege to capture you, then join him on his travels. If you feel there is some other reward you can give him, then that is what you will do. This meeting is adjourned!"**

And just like that, an agreement was reached. All the Legendaries seemed pleased with this outcome, and began making their way out of the ancient halls: all with the intent of rewarding Ash in some manner. Arceus almost felt sorry, since she now knew that all of the Legendaries of the world would now be descending on the Alola Region, the current location of the young hero.

This was not going to end well.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 2**

Ash woke up from another peaceful sleep up in the loft of Professor Kukui's lab, where he had been staying for the last few weeks.

When Ash made the decision to stay in Alola, his original plan was to stay in a hotel. He wasn't concerned about cost, after competing in 6 leagues, one Championship (which he won), the battle frontier, and several other competitions in which he either won or did well in, money wasn't an issue. In fact, after five years of constant championships and tournaments, Ash had more money than he really needed. He sent most of it to his Mum but if he needed to stay in a hotel for a couple of months, he could easily afford it.

But he was happier with this setup. He had a comfy couch to sleep on, he was in a lab with loads of Pokémon, and it was nearer to the Pokémon school than any hotel. It was just more laid-back, which was what he wanted.

As he got up and began stretching, he looked around to look at his Pokémon. Pikachu was still on the couch, stretching his legs out as he began slowly waking up. Lycanroc was already awake, eagerly waiting for Ash to get them their breakfast. Litten was currently half-awake and was in the process of cleaning his fur, also waiting for fur. And Rowlet was still asleep.

Smiling happily at this, Ash began to get dressed. He did have school today after all. But as he began gathering his clothes for the day, he couldn't help but feel like something strange was going to happen today. Call it a gut feeling, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that something odd was going to happen to him.

Or maybe he was just feeling hungry.

Shrugging it off as hunger, Ash began getting his and his Pokémon's breakfasts ready. As he devoured his breakfast, he failed to notice a familiar face looking in from one of the windows. The small creature was observing Ash intently, while spinning a Golden Ring around it's arm.

After watching him for a moment, the little creature began snickering to itself and began walking off, putting its plan into motion.

" _Ashkan will love my surprise. Me bring Ashkan lots of friends!"_

And just like that, the possibility of a normal day for Ash went straight out the window.

* * *

So maybe today wasn't going to be as interesting as Ash thought.

While Ash did have a lot of fun at the Pokémon school, not every day was as fun-filled as Ash desired. Today, they were focusing on Status Effects: something that Ash had lots of experience with. He was a Runner-Up in a Regional Tournament, like, two months ago for crying out loud: he knew plenty about status ailments.

Still, Ash knew that not everyone in the class was as experienced as him, and that learning this would be a huge benefit to them, so he kept his complaints limited to exasperated sighs under his breath.

Everyone else was paying attention to Professor Kukui, with Kiawe focusing intently: even though he was probably the most experienced trainer in the room besides Ash. Mallow and Lana were nodding along to whatever it was Kukui was going on about, with Sophocles furiously jotting down notes. Lillie seemed kinda spaced out, more focused on petting Snowy than paying full attention to the class.

Despite the fact that he was bored out of his mind, Ash was still feeling good about himself. He was enjoying the atmosphere, the temperature today was fantastic, and he was going to go into the City Centre with the rest of his class after the lesson. Today was a good day.

As he patiently waited for the class to end, Ash took in a deep breath of the clear air, hoping to try and focus back in on the lesson.

And he ended up taking in a deep intake of **strong** spices.

Choking on his breath, he ended up drawing the attention from the rest of the class.

"Ash, are you alright?" Lillie inquired, ever the most worried out of the group.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but can anyone else smell that?" Ash asked, wondering what the hell was causing that strong smell of herbs. Those oddly familiar herbs.

Taking a deep wiff, Mallow began looking confused, clearly just noticing this strong smell.

"Yeah, I can smell it. What is that?"

Before they could investigate further, a large green shape darted into the room, and rammed into Ash at full force, knocking him onto his back.

Startled by this new arrival, everyone reacted accordingly. Mallow and Lana took a step back in shock, with their partner Pokémon hiding behind their legs. Sophocles jumped behind a table, trying to keep himself safe. Lillie jumped behind Lana, terrified by the idea of touching the unknown Pokémon, and Kiawe pulled out Turtonator's Pokéball, ready to save Ash from this attacker.

However, everyone was stopped in their tracks when they heard Ash laughing. LAUGHING! He had just been tackled by a fairly large looking Pokémon and he was laughing.

"Bayleef, what are you doing? Get off, would ya?" Ash implored, trying desperately to get himself some breathing room.

Calming down somewhat, but still heavily nuzzling Ash, the now identified Bayleef got off Ash, allowing him to get up.

Still somewhat hesitant, Kiawe decided to step forward. "Ash, do you know this Pokémon?"

"Know her, course I know her! She's one of mine." Ash exclaimed, as if that explained everything.

However, this only seemed to make the others question him more, as they began barrage him with questions.

"That's your Bayleef? Can I use some of its spices for my next dish?"

"You have other Pokémon besides Pikachu? Do you have any water types?"

"Why did she tackle you? Are all your Pokémon that touchy?"

Overwhelmed by the constant questioning, Ash took a step back.

"Guys, guys, take it easy. I'll answer all of your questions. Yes, she is, and sure you can, if she has no problem with it. I have loads of Pokémon, including a whole bunch of water types. That's just something that she likes to do honestly, and not all my Pokémon are like that, but a lot more than what is probably normal. Anything else?" Ash got out, trying to appease everyone.

Somewhat satisfied, everyone took a step back, allowing Ash to breathe again.

"The only question is, how did you get here Bayleef?" Ash wondered out loud.

"What do you mean Ash?" Lana cautiously asked, confused by what Ash meant. Surely Bayleef was here because of him, right?

"Well, Bayleef should be in Kanto along with the rest of my Pokémon. And I didn't ask for her to be sent over, so I'm a bit lost on how she got here."

Upon hearing this, Bayleef began making lots of movements, using exaggerated body gestures to try and tell Ash something.

"What is it Bayleef?"

"Bay, bay-leef!" Bayleef shouted at Ash, not that it made any sense to him.

Bayleef then made a circle like motion with her heard, and then walked slightly to the left. She was trying to show Ash how she got to this foreign region.

"What?"

Unfortunately, no matter how much she loved her trainer, Bayleef had an idiot for a trainer. A well-meaning and noble idiot, but an idiot none-the-less.

Fortunately, she was in the presence of people who did possess some deductive skills, including a very lively Rotom Dex.

"This looks like a job for 'Detective Rotom'!"

Rotom Dex then began playing back the motions that Bayleef made, making several noises to show how deep in thought it was. After a brief moment, it made a sound of realisation.

"I have deduced that Bayleef missed Ash, and has spent the last few weeks swimming across the ocean to see him again."

Everyone sweat-dropped at this, not seeing how it got to that conclusion.

"Where did you get swimming from?"

"If it was swimming, why isn't she tired? She would have had to of swam hundreds of miles."

"And how would she have known Ash was here?"

While everyone was picking apart Rotom's idea, Ash bent down and began stroking Bayleef, who seemed to be somewhat nervous around all these new people. As he was stroking her neck, Ash noticed that there was something tied to her neck. When he looked closer, Ash realised that it was Bayleef's Pokéball.

Taking it off her neck, Ash decided to test it to made sure he was right. So, he returned her. When it worked without an issue, it confirmed that it was her Pokéball. Letting her back out, all Ash could do is wonder what circumstance allowed Bayleef to travel halfway across the globe to get to him.

But little did Ash know, that this was only the beginning of this weird day, and that he had a lot more to deal with.

* * *

It was now the end of the day, and Ash was looking forward to spending some time out of the class. After an hour of speculating why Bayleef was there, Professor Kukui finally took over the lesson again, and told them that they had to sort this out in their spare time. While Ash and the others went back to their lesson, Bayleef was introduced to the other Pokémon, and began socialising with them.

And now, Ash could finally stretch his legs a bit, and he fully intended to. However, as soon as he left the school ground, he was pounced upon again, this time by a small, biting shape.

Concerned that Ash was under attack again, everyone that was walking just behind Ash took a defensive position, ready to react to this potential threat. But they were somewhat surprised, and disappointed, when Ash got up again, with the new Pokémon still attached to his head, nibbling away at his skull.

"You too huh Gible?" Ash chuckled as he recovered from the sudden appearance of his little dragon.

This caused some surprised outbursts from his friends.

"Wait, is that ANOTHER one of your Pokémon? HOW?"

"You have a Gible? That's pretty cool."

"Why is it chewing your head? I thought you said not all your Pokémon were like that."

Embarrassed by being jumped by yet another of his Pokémon, Ash went to scratch the back his next, but was blocked by the Dragon that was still chewing on his head, so he scratched his face instead.

"Hehe, yeah, this is my Gible. Caught him in Sinnoh. I'm not sure what he's doing here, it makes even less sense than Bayleef." Ash responded, not able to respond to all the questions this time.

Prying him off his head with the help of Pikachu, Ash checked around his neck to see if his Pokéball was around it like Bayleef's. It only took him a few seconds to find his Pokéball, and took this chance to return to energetic little dragon.

While Ash was doing this, the rest of his class began sharing worried looks with one another. Why were random Pokémon just appearing? Were they all going to be Ash's? Just how Pokémon did Ash have?

However, as they questioned this, Ash decided to speak up.

"Hey guys, is it alright if we pop to the Pokémon Centre first before we go looking around town? I kinda wanna contact Professor Oak and ask him about this. This is really weird."

Relived that they weren't the only ones concerned about this, they all agreed wholeheartedly, willing and eager to help Ash with this new issue. And with that, they all began making their way to the Island's nearest PokéCentre, so they can contact this Professor Oak.

* * *

The group quickly made their way to the PokéCentre, but not without bumping into more of Ash's Pokémon. In the time it took them to find the PokéCentre, they found Ash's Unfezant, Boldore, and Totodile (much to Lana's excitement).

These new arrivals, while they were great reunions, only seemed to worry Ash more. Why were all of his Pokémon showing up in a region that was hundreds of miles from where they should have been, and who was sticking their Pokéballs around their necks.

However, as the group made their way into town, they got distracted by a huge group of people who were running for their lives.

Being the natural hero that he was, Ash stepped forward and managed to get the attention of one of the running people.

"Hey, what's going on here?"

Taking a moment to collect themselves, the man replied, "It was so crazy! A herd of rampaging Tauros began stampeding through the town. No one seems to know who they belong to."

At this, Kiawe raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, an entire herd? Where the hell did a random Tauros herd come from?"

While he was contemplating this, Ash just sighed heavily. He had a strong feeling that he knew whose Tauros they were, and it just added to the headache that was building up.

"Could you tell me where the herd is please?" Ash asked, deciding to just get it over with.

At this, everyone stared at ash incredulously. Was he seriously planning on trying to deal with the Tauros herd on his own?

"Erm, they were that way." The man told them, though he was slightly concerned for the kid's health.

Nodding his thanks, Ash walked towards where the Tauros were, followed by his somewhat reluctant friends.

After a few minutes of walking, they found the herd. It seemed to be about thirty strong, and they were stampeding across the town, looking lost and confused. It was as if they were looking for something but had been pointed in the wrong direction and were now panicking.

The sight of such a large herd put everyone on edge. A lone Tauros on the rampage was enough to concern most people but an entire herd of them? It was a terrifying thought.

But while they were all shaking in their boots, Ash just kept walking, like he was completely safe and not in danger of being trampled.

Suddenly, he did what seemed to be the craziest thing he could have done.

"HEY TAUROS! OVER HERE!"

Looking at Ash as if he had grown a second head, everyone began to panic. Did he have a death wish?

To the surprise of everyone involved, the Tauros immediately calmed down, and began trotting over to Ash, all of them trying to nuzzle against him.

If they were looking at him funnily before, now they were looking at him as if he had just been ordained as the Chosen One.

Braving it, Mallow took a step forward, gaining the attention of not only Ash and Pikachu, but the entire herd's attention. Despite feeling somewhat scared, Mallow took a deep gulp and decided to ask the question on everyone's mind.

"Ash, why did these Tauros listen to you?"

Chuckling to himself in embarrassment, Ash managed to get out, just loud enough for everyone to here.

"Well, they're kinda mine."

After this statement, it took a few moments to sink in, before everyone blinked in surprise.

"WHAT!"

* * *

Tapu Koko was flying around Melemele Island furiously, searching for the disturber of the peace.

As a guardian of the Island, Tapu Koko had well-tuned senses, being able to detect any disturbances that happen across the entire region, allowing him to protect his Island incredibly well.

But today, he had sensed a large disturbance in the natural balance, almost as if massive holes in reality were being ripped open. Afraid of another attack from the Ultra Beasts, Tapu Koko had been chasing down the source of these disturbances for the last hours, but whatever was causing it was being very slippery.

Feeling another spike of energy, Tapu Koko boosted forward, just in time to see what appeared to be a Teleportation Ring shrink down to tiny proportions. Having found the source of the disturbance, Tapu Koko began investigating.

What he found was very surprising. Because what he found was Hoopa, the Master of Teleports, instructing what seemed to be a Pidgeot to do something. After a few moments, the Pidgeot nodded, and flew off towards the town. Wandering what the little trickster wanted, Tapu Koko flew forth, intending to find out what his intent was.

With a boost of speed, he darted forward and grabbed the little Mythical Pokémon and pulled it up to eye level. Hoopa had the decency to look embarrassed at being caught.

"Hey, Kokokan! How you doing? Are you surprised to see me?" Hoopa inquired, with a nervous tone to his voice.

Not in the mood for his games, Tapu Koko ignored his question.

"What are you doing here Hoopa, what trickery do you have planned?"

At this, Hoopa's mood shifted from nervous to annoyed.

"Hoopa not playing tricks. Hoopa surprising Ashkan. Bring Ashkan his friends."

At this, Tapu Koko let go of Hoopa's horn, allowing him to float freely as he wondered about what he meant by that.

"Ash, as in Ash Ketchum, the Chosen One? What interest do you have in him?"

Upon being asked, Hoopa perked up again, like he had just been given a candy bar.

"Hoopa been helped by Ashkan in the past, so Hoopa wanted to do something for Ashkan. So, Hoopa brought him his friends. Hoopa thought that was a good idea."

Not seeing any malice or lies in his words, Tapu Koko pressed on.

"And why are you doing this now. Could this not have waited?"

"Well, Hoopa wanted to do something for Ashkan before the others get here. Hoopa wanted to be first, because Hoopa is the best."

This caused Tapu Koko to blanch. Others? As in more Legendaries?

"What others? Who is coming to Alola?" The panic in Tapu Koko's voice apparent.

"All the ones Ashkan has helped. Arceus herself said it ok. Lots makes their way here, and soon."

This was bad news for Tapu Koko. The last time the Legendaries of other regions showed up in Alola, they had been fighting some kind of war of Gods, something Tapu Koko had no interest in.

He needed to keep a lid on this, and he had to start with Hoopa.

"Hoopa, I know you like being dramatic and surprising, but whatever you've got planned. Get it done quickly. No more messing around."

Hoopa made a face that looked like he wanted to argue, but decided against it.

"Ok, Hoopa do."

And with that, Hoopa made a ring and went through it, intending to finish off his plan quickly before he annoyed Tapu Koko. He was no fun.

Happy with that outcome, Tapu Koko turned and zoomed off to the other Islands, planning on seeing the Tapus. If the various Legends of the Pokémon world were coming to Alola, they'd need to work together.

* * *

Ash was exhausted. He had spent all day trying to round up his Pokémon. It would seem that they were all showing up, and not just the ones he had caught as well. The ones he had released had shown up as well, including his Goodra, Pidgeot, Greninja, to name a few.

While not all of his Pokémon had shown up, enough had shown up for it to be concerning. He currently had over half of his captured Pokémon on his person, and they were now occupying Professor Kukui's lab, leaving it to be packed to the brim with various Pokémon. He had been so busy, he didn't even get the chance to contact Professor Oak. Ash decided he would do it in the morning. It was Saturday tomorrow, which means he had time to do that, providing nothing else weird happened.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door, which Ash knew he had to answer. Kukui was currently out buying Pokémon food, since they now needed several tonnes of it for his Pokémon (it was a good thing that Ash had lots of money to buy this kind of stuff, or else he'd be in trouble), so Ash knew he had to get the door.

Getting up from his sofa-bed, he began stepping over the several bodies of his Pokémon, being careful not to wake them up. Last thing he needed was them getting all excited.

Soon, he reached the front door, and opened it to see who was knocking.

Only to get covered by his Muk, as he began to hug Ash. And behind him were ALL of Ash's other Pokémon, who all seemed happy to see him.

"Oh, what is this?" Ash muttered to himself, too tired to be dealing with this.

Pikachu, who was awake, looked down at Ash in pity, before shrugging it off and going to sleep. He was just as exhausted, and he figured that Ash could deal with by himself.

Ash was exhausted, with this being an extremely tiring day. Little did he realise that it was only going to get worse.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 3**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

"Can you believe how many Pokémon Ash actually has? I know he's said he had caught more Pokémon from other regions, but I weren't expecting so many…" Mallow questioned offhandedly, simply conversation to the others, who were nodding along.

Mallow, Lillie and the others were currently making their way to Professor Kukui to go and see Ash and give him a hand with all of his Pokémon. The day before had been manic for him, as he spent most of the day discovering that various Pokémon of his had been appearing across Melemele Island and causing trouble.

As it turned out, a lot of Ash's Pokémon were just as bizarre as he was.

While he hadn't been able to contact Professor Oak, the man who was apparently supposed to be watching his vast collection of Pokémon, he had managed to collect all the ones that had appeared in Alola (or at least, all of the ones that they knew about). When Ash had decided to call it a day, he had asked if they were capable of helping him, which they gladly agreed to.

It was a Saturday today, and as was common in Alola, the weather was sublime. And everyone was looking forward to getting to know Ash's Pokémon better, as he had Pokémon from all across the Pokémon World. And while they knew it was much too early for Ash to be up yet, they had decided to go early.

However, as they approached Professor Kukui's beach house, they were in for a few surprises.

One, the amount of Pokémon that were there that clearly weren't Professor Kukui's had nearly doubled, making the normally quiet and relaxing part of the beach a warzone.

Two, Ash was actually up and active, going around giving the correct types of food to the correct Pokémon, with Pikachu and some small Grass type helping him out.

As they approached, they were caught off guard as a random water type suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stuck its arms out to the sides as it attempted to prevent them from entering the populated area.

"Bui, bui-bui!" He yelped, clearly not impressed with these intruders.

Hearing this, Ash looked up from what he was doing and saw what was happening, and jumped to intervene.

"Buizel, wait! They're my friends, its ok!" He shouted, clearly trying to stop Buizel from doing something he'll regret.

When Buizel heard this, he dropped his arms, looked over the Alolan crew, and then nodded his approval, before walking off in a confident manner, satisfied that he had done his self-appointed job.

Ash quickly ran over, glad to see his friends but wanting to apologize.

"Sorry about that, Buizel means well but he can be a bit standoffish with people he doesn't know." Ash explained, somewhat embarrassed by the ordeal.

The others could only nod along dumbly, as they were still in amazement of the vast array of Pokémon.

There were SO many.

All across the small property were Pokémon of many shapes and sizes, and all of them were incredibly different from one another. In the ocean there were a few water types racing each other, trying to determine which of them was the fastest. There was a small blue turtle, a little blue crocodile, two different species of bright red crabs, and, to their surprise, a Lapras (weren't they really hard to catch? That's why they had to rent out Ride Lapras to use afterall).

Under the shade of a palm tree were a few Pokémon who were simply lazing about, yet seemed to exert pure, controlled power. There was a large grass type Pokémon that had a twig in its mouth, leaning against the tree as it relaxed. Next to him was a Snorlax, doing what Snorlax do best, which was sleep. On top of his belly, was a blue frog like Pokémon with its tongue wrapped around its neck like a scarf, which seemed to be meditating. There was a large green turtle with a tree sticking out of its back, who was simply relaxing and watching some of the smaller Pokémon race about fondly. And finally, they spotted a Charizard, but this one was different. While all Charizard were strong, this one seemed to radiate power, making them feel somewhat nervous around the sleeping powerhouse. They also noticed that Buizel had made his way over to this tree, before plopping down and closing his eyes in relaxation.

On the roof of the building there were several flying types, who seemed to be interacting with one another animatedly. There was a large bat like Pokémon, who despite its size seemed to be rather nervous around the other Pokémon, which suggested that it was very young and inexperienced, despite its natural power. There was a bird Pokémon which seemed to be moving its wings like it was punching, the red streak of feathers in front of its face waving about wildly. There was also a much smaller Pokémon which looked somewhat like a luchador, who seemed to be assessing the punching movements and nodding along, as if it were assessing the attack. There were also several other flying types, one of which was **shiny,** who seemed to be acquainting themselves with Rowlet, the small bird gladly soaking up the attention.

Running in circles around the house was a group of highly energetic Pokémon, one of which was Lycanroc, who seemed to be playing a high-speed game of tag. There was one Pokémon which was rolled up into a ball, the only discernible feature being the tusks pointing out of its side. There was another bat like Pokémon who seemed to be bouncing along on its tail, only to occasionally spring up and glide a couple of meters when whatever Pokémon was tagged got close. There was an ape Pokémon who was sprinting quickly, keeping up with the others despite only using one pair of limbs, who also seemed to be on fire (which none of them seemed surprised by, giving that a lot of Pokémon were like that). They were all being chased by a rolling ball of fire, which right now was the only noticeable feature.

And there were still more Pokémon!

Noticing that their gazes were on his Pokémon, Ash couldn't help but feel pride swell up in his chest.

"These are my Pokémon, they're great, aren't they?" He asked excitedly, eager to hear their opinions on his make-shift family.

"Ash. Where did they come from? There wasn't this many here yesterday?" Mallow questioned, struggling to believe that Ash had this many Pokémon. There must have been at least sixty, maybe even seventy Pokémon here.

At this, Ash deflated somewhat, a little annoyed that that was what they focused on.

"Honestly, I don't know. Just before I went to sleep the rest had appeared at the door. I'm just glad that the Professor had gotten enough food, these lot are a very difficult bunch when they're hungry."

"But what about Professor Kukui, what does he think about this?" Lana questioned.

"Well he was surprised at first, just like I was, but he seemed happy to see so many Pokémon. When a few of them began showing off their moves he got really happy. The main one I'm concerned about is Rotom Dex. I haven't seen him all morning, as he seemed obsessed with documenting **all** of my Pokémon." Ash reflected, somehow at peace with the strange situation.

Just then, the little grass type Pokémon walked up and grabbed Ash's arm with a vine, motioning back towards the bags of food.

Remembering what he was doing, Ash began to panic, the idea of several hungry (and powerful) Pokémon rampaging plaguing his mind.

"Right! Breakfast! On it. Hey, can you guys give me a hand, I've got a lot of Pokémon to feed." Ash implored, the idea of extra help being very welcome.

Nodding gladly, they all walked with Ash to the various bags of Pokémon food, pouring it out into several bowls for the several different types of Pokémon. With the extra help, Ash, Pikachu, and the others managed to get all the food ready rather quickly.

Satisfied with this, Ash told everyone to stand back, before cupping his hands around his mouth.

"BREAKFAST IS READY!"

And just like that, several dozen Pokémon stampeded towards them, all of them rushing to get their food. And once they descended on it like a horde of angry barbarians, they began devouring it, not unlike how Ash eat.

It was true what they said, like trainer like Pokémon.

Happy with their work, Kiawe decided to ask something that had been on his mind ever since Bayleef's appearance yesterday.

"So Ash, what regions **have** you been to? I know you're from Kanto, but I don't think you've ever mentioned what other regions you've been to."

Curious to see where he had been, the others turned to Ash, who seemed to be mulling it over in his head.

"Well let's see, I've been to quite a few places, so give me a sec." He said, thinking through all the places he had been. It was surprisingly hard when so much had happened to him in the past five years.

"Well, I've travelled across Kanto twice, once for a league, once for the Battle Frontier. I travelled the Orange Islands while on an errand for Professor Oak. I then went to Johto, followed by Hoenn, and then Sinnoh. After Sinnoh I went to Unova and also travelled through the Decolore Islands. And finally, before coming here I was in Kalos. I think that's everything." Ash listed off, eyes facing upwards as he focused on remembering where exactly he had been, despite not going into specifics.

The others just stared at him in shock. How the hell had he managed to travel across so many regions? Wasn't he the same age as them? And he started at ten? That meant he had travelled across all those regions in just five years? That was ridiculous.

Before they could question him further, an explosion happened in the distance, drawing the attention of everyone.

And to their annoyance (especially all of Ash's Pokémon, who had somewhat forgotten about this part of travelling with their trainer), it was Team Rocket.

"Prepare for Trouble!"

"And make it Double!"

"Can you shut it!" Ash shouted, deciding that it was way too early for their nonsense.

"Humph, now that's just rude twerp, this is practically routine by now." Jessie complained, not appreciating the interruption.

"Yeah, we show up, give the intro, and then steal your Pokémon. That's how it goes!" James shouted, backing up his partner in crime.

"Oh, screw it, it's early and I'm hungry so I'll allow the break of routine. Let's do this." Meowth said, thinking similar to Ash.

Reluctantly agreeing, Jessie started out the fight by letting Mimikyu out of its ball, sending it to potentially kill Pikachu.

Answering the challenge, Ash let Pikachu go, starting off the fight with a powerful thunderbolt.

Not being caught off guard that easily, Mimikyu responded with a shadow ball, before lunging in with a shadow claw. Spinning in mid-air, Pikachu responded with an iron tail, causing a large explosion from the clash of attacks, drawing the attention from the several Pokémon gathered.

Not wanting to give Ash an opportunity to let another Pokémon out of their ball (having somehow not noticed the large horde not twenty meters behind the Alolan crew), James sent out Mareanie, planning on backing up Jessie and overwhelming Ash. But before she could intervene in the battle, Mimikyu lunged again at Ash, only to be batted away by a surprise Leaf Blade.

"What?" Jessie screeched, not expecting the random attack. Who dared attack her Pokémon like that.

Surprise then turned to shock, which then evolved into fear when they saw Ash's, **very** powerful, Sceptile standing beside Pikachu, intending the back the little mouse up against the tricky opponent.

A few seconds later, more of Ash's Pokémon had taken arms and were now backing Pikachu, most notably being Ash's powerhouses such as Charizard, Snorlax, Heracross, Infernape, Primeape, Krookodile, Goodra, and Greninja. But nearly all of Ash's Pokémon were now starring down Team Rocket, clearing very angry at the fact that their breakfast had been rudely interrupted.

Pikachu, glad for the support and now feeling very confident, squeaked out a challenge to the Mimikyu, taking on a 'come get me if you dare' approach.

And Team Rocket were shaking in their boots. They hadn't foreseen this.

"I thought the twerp only had his Alolan Pokémon." Jessie muttered, her gaze nervously shifting from Pokémon to Pokémon, struggling to comprehend why Ash had **all** of his Pokémon.

"I thought so too, its so weird." James agreed, looking up at the small flock of flying types who were just waiting for the order to attack so they could dive down.

"Maybe it was for all the fans who wanted to see his old Pokémon?" Meowth speculated, the fourth wall break going over the head of most of the people present.

Apparently not bothered by the small army of powerful Pokémon, Mimikyu lunged at Pikachu again, only to be met with several dozen attacks, of varying types and effects. The resulting explosion was so great, that everyone was knocked off their feet, and Team Rocket were sent soaring into the air.

"Oh well, at least this time the odds were against us. We have an excuse!"

"Yeah, there's no way the boss will be angry at us for this."

"One thing's for sure tho."

"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

But before they could, Bewear suddenly caught them and landed in front of the large horde of Pokémon, but before it could jump away, the Pokémon simply blasted it as well, sending it, and Team Rocket, flying into the distance.

Getting up onto their feet, the Alolan crew were still trying to process the fact that Ash's Pokémon had just rushed Team Rocket and crushed them with ease.

Why didn't they do that before?

But as they were dusting themselves off, a figure appeared from the path to Professor Kukui's house, walking towards them in search of something, or someone.

They then spotted the dust from the recent blasts in the distance, and began walking over, a smile plastered onto their face.

They had found who they were looking for. And they broke into a sprint.

Ash was chucking to himself over how his Pokémon had gone so overboard (not that he minded, since he was probably going to order them to do that anyway, he just found it amusing), but as soon as he got back on his feet, he was tackled from the side and knocked back to the floor.

Surprised by this, many of Ash's Pokémon took a defensive stance, except for Pikachu, who recognised who this was and was simply in shock. What were **they** doing here?

The Alolan crew soon noticed this and were soon wondering who this person who attacked Ash was.

Lillie was the one who asked the question everyone was wondering.

"Ash, who is she? Is she a friend?"

Currently on top of Ash, and nuzzling him in a similar manner to a Pokémon, was a girl wearing a green top, with a brown skirt, which clearly wasn't made with this region's climate in mind. She had brown hair, which had two parts which stuck up in a backwards fashion, kind of like some kind of wings. And as she noticed that there were other people beside Pokémon there, she suddenly became very nervous, getting up and hiding behind the group of Pokémon (who were still mostly trying to figure out who this person was).

Ash got up for the second time, and after looking left and right to make sure nothing was going to knock him down again, he looked straight at her, trying to figure out who she is.

"I'm not completely sure, give me a sec."

Despite the other's shock and confusion at this (cos how can you now be sure if you know someone?), Ash began starring at her, waiting for some clue as to **which** individual was in front.

Deciding to gamble, he ventured a guess.

"Bianca?"

Smiling at the fact that she had tricked him, she simply shook her head.

This caused Ash's eyes to widen, as realisation sunk in.

"Latias!?" He shouted, causing everyone to jump.

Tapping her nose, she then began searching for Pikachu, and when she found him, she picked him up and began nuzzling him. Knowing full well who this was, and remembering the fun they had together, he began nuzzling back, glad to see an old friend.

Sophocles seemed confused by this name, and decided to question it.

"Latias? Isn't that a Pokémon name? I'm sure I've heard about it somewhere."

This caused both Ash and Latias to stop in their tracks, mild panic setting in. Do they tell them? Or do they lie?

On a similar wavelength, they both went for lying. Naturally.

"NO, NONO! Latias is just a common name in Johto, it was weird when I first heard it as well, ha-ha." Ash lied, sweat rolling down his head.

Latias nodded along, not really having much choice.

Yet somehow, they believed this, with Lillie being the first to react.

"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Lillie, I'm a friend of Ash. I take it you met him in Johto?" She politely asked, while sticking out her hand for a handshake.

Nodding in response to her question, she took the hand and shook it, always eager to meet new people. She didn't get the chance to meet new people.

And as she shook Lillie's hand, Ash and Pikachu began minorly freaking, just now realising the implications of that action. Which without the context, just made them look ridiculous.

After a moment of freaking out, Ash regained his composure and turned to the others.

"Hey, I need to catch up with Latias quick, can you lot do me a massive favour and put away the Pokémon food?"

Happily agreeing, and all internally agreeing to overlook the freak out as Ash being Ash, they turned and began taking the various bags of food back inside.

As soon as they were out of sight, Ash turned back to Latias and began questioning her.

"What are you doing here? Did something happen in Altomare? Are Lorenzo and Bianca alright?" Ash blurted out quickly, immensely worried at why a legendary like Latias had apparently sought him out.

Double checking the area quickly, Latias dropped her disguise, turning back into her normal form. In place of the girl that was there, a slender red and white dragon was present, with two wide jet-like wings, and a long neck, which was perfect for nuzzling, which was what she began doing.

After a moment of nuzzling, with a background of shocked Pokémon who were in awe at the fact that they were dealing with **another** legendary, Latias drew back.

" _Nothing is wrong Ash, I'm simply here to thank you."_ Latias mentally said, causing Ash to jump back a couple of feet.

"Woah, since when could you talk?" Ash asked, shocked at how she had spoken to him, something she couldn't do last time.

Giggling, she simply responded with, _"Bianca taught me."_ Which was enough for Ash.

"Ok, but what do you mean: here to thank me? For what?"

Shaking her head in mild confusion, Latias just went, _"For saving me and Altomare. While my brother may not have made it, I, as well as the whole town, would have perished as well. I owe you so much, so I'm here to thank you."_

"Oh ok, that's not really necessary. I would always be happy to help someone in need. There's no need to thank me." Ash muttered to himself, clearly embarrassed by the whole thing.

" _Well, it was still really brave. So for that, I've already gotten your reward ready."_ Latias said, starting to get a little bit excited.

"Ok, I'm kinda excited now, what is it?" Ash said, his immaturity beginning to take over.

" _First, do you have an empty Pokéball?"_ Latias questioned, which somehow didn't tip Ash off.

"Erm, yeah. I always carry an empty Pokéball. There's always Pokémon to catch." Ash said, mostly to himself, as he plucked out an empty Pokéball.

Before he could react, and to the surprise of everyone gathered, Latias touched the Pokéball and let it suck her in. As Ash stared at the ball in complete shock, Latias popped out and began shaking herself off.

" _Wow, that felt really weird. I can see why Pikachu doesn't like it. But yeah, that's your reward."_ She added weakly, not really sure how Ash was going to respond.

All he could do is stare in shock. He had just caught a Legendary. An actual Legendary. After five years of meeting and saving Legendaries, one had joined his team. He couldn't believe it.

As the excitement began to bubble up, the only response he could really have was to pass out. Much to everyone's surprise.

* * *

Hey everyone, how you all doing? Normally I don't do this, cos it breaks the flow of the story, but I need to ask a favour from all of you. I'm struggling to think of good ideas for what rewards the Legendaries can give Ash, and I've got maybe 2 or 3 more ideas, and that's with the help of a couple of people who've already given me ideas. So can you give me some ideas please. Whether it'd be by review or PM, please drop me some ideas. I'd really appreciate the help. Thanks in advance.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 4**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Tapu Koko was currently pacing as he awaited the other Tapus in the Ruins of Conflict.

After heading to each Island and telling each Tapu to head to the Ruins for an emergency meeting, Tapu Koko had been gathering what information he could. From what he could gather, things were not looking good for his home region.

Suddenly, a bright pink light from above began shining through the cracks of the shattered castle, accompanied by a soft melody which echoed through the empty halls, signalling the arrival of Tapu Lele.

As she entered the space of which Tapu Koko had made his home, the water which formed a rudimentary moat began to ripple and distort, before erupting upwards, before falling back down while leaving a distinct shape still floating there, which was Tapu Fini.

And while this was happening, a loud and powerful roar occurred, drawing the attention of the already gathered Tapus and drowning out the soft singing of Tapu Lele, causing her eye to twitch violently. Almost as soon as the battle cry was over, the east wall suddenly exploded, and barrelling through the dust came Tapu Bulu.

"BULU! What have I said about tearing down walls every time you come here?" Tapu Koko yelled, annoyed about how he had to deal with **another** busted wall.

Bulu had the decency to feel embarrassed, rubbing the back of its neck while looking down.

"Sorry Koko, you just had me all pumped up when you said we had a Legendary problem. I've always wanted to fight one of the greater Legendaries."

Rolling her eyes, Tapu Lele floated over to Tapu Bulu.

"Please, we all know that it would take all four of us fighting together to stand a chance against **one** of them, what were you planning on doing by yourself?"

Muttering to himself, Tapu Bulu simply sulked as Tapu Lele simply smirked at him. Deciding to be the one to focus them back on the problem at hand, Tapu Fini turned to Tapu Koko.

"So what did you mean when you said we had a Legendary problem? What kind of problem?" She questioned, still very much in the dark on the whole situation.

Taking a moment to reflect on the situation they were in, Tapu Koko turned back to his fellow Tapus.

"The problem is we're going to have potentially over three dozen Legendaries of various power coming to Alola." He stated calmly, probably more calmly than he felt.

This caused all the Tapus to do a double take, as they could not have expected something of this scale.

"What do you mean we're gonna have three dozen Legendaries in Alola? How is that even possible? What could possibly motivate them to come here?" Tapu Lele questioned in hysteria, dropping her regal attitude due to her shock.

Tapu Bulu took it even worse, not even getting any intelligent words out and simply started smashing several pillars in an attempt to calm himself down.

Tapu Fini was the only one who managed to remain rational, not exactly calm, but rational enough to try and figure out what to do.

"Do we know why they're coming here? Maybe they're not here to cause trouble?" Fini asked with a somewhat optimistic tone. If she was right, then maybe it wasn't as bad as they first thought.

Tapu Koko nodded, since Hoopa had been considerate enough to inform him why they were coming to Alola.

"So far as I know, these Legends that are heading to Alola all share one common feature, they have interacted with the human known as Ash Ketchum." He informed, which caught the attention of Tapu Lele, who was the only other Tapu to have interacted with Ash.

But the other Tapus weren't as fortunate, and had only heard about this human from Tapu Koko's reports.

"You mean that human you've taken interest in? Is this a fact, or speculation? Because I'm not in the mood for speculation Koko." Tapu Bulu interrogated, having calmed down from his rampage enough to take part of the conversation again.

"This is a fact, the information from which I gained from Hoopa, the first of the Legendaries to reach our Island."

At the mention of the Legendary fabled for causing trouble, all the Tapus groaned.

"According to him, Ash has been helping Legendaries for years, and now they have deemed it necessary to reward him. Which is the reason why they will be coming to Alola."

This seemed to placate the Tapus as they realised that the Legendaries weren't looking to cause any trouble with the Tapus. But then a new question began to circulate in their minds.

"Wait, then why are you so concerned?" Tapu Fini questioned, not quite sure what the big deal was.

"The main issue I have, is actually to do with Ash Ketchum himself. As it would turn out, my hunch was right, Ash is no normal human. He is the Chosen One of Legend." Tapu Koko informed, worried by the implications of the situation.

This was the final straw, causing the other Tapus to lose their cause and go on a rampage in the abandoned temple.

All Tapu Koko could do was sigh, as he had expected this. This was part of the reason why he enjoyed living in a ruin, it was so much easier to clean up the mess they made. But this didn't help his situation much.

'I think it's time I paid Ash Ketchum another visit. I need to verify whether or not he is the 'Chosen One'.'

* * *

The first thing that Ash saw when he came-to was all his friends from Alola crowding around him, as well as Pikachu and Latias (in her human form he noticed). He was also no longer outside, but on his couch that he normally slept on. He couldn't help but notice that several of his Pokémon were swarming behind them in a panic as they worried about his well-being.

Still somewhat groggy from passing out, Ash struggled to pull himself up, but soon found that he was being helped up by his concerned friends who were all wondering what the hell happened to him.

Kiawe was the first to ask the question on everyone's mind.

"Ash, just what the hell happened? Why did you pass out?"

Ash went to answer, but stopped himself before he said anything, as he was drawing a blank as to what happened.

"You know, I can't remember. One minute we were dealing with Team Rocket, the next I was talking to Latias, and then…"

And that was when he remembered.

Which caused him to practically launch himself off the couch into the wall, smacking his head and almost knocking himself out again.

This caused the others to panic, as they lunged forward to inspect Ash's injury.

"Are you alright Ash? I can call my butler if you need first aid."

"What the hell caused you to do that you loon?"

"I'm gonna hazard a guess and say that he remembered what happened."

And when that was thrown out, everyone stopped, realising that there was some truth in that statement, so they stopped so that Ash could talk.

After a moment of rubbing his head, Ash simply looked at Latias, who was looking very worried and unsure of what to do. Pikachu was sat on her shoulder, and was currently shaking his head violently, trying to tell Ash not to even attempt to explain what happened.

In a total panic, Ash said the first thing that popped into his mind.

"Oh, nothing happened. I just tripped on my feet and when I remembered I got really embarrassed, hehehe." Ash stammered, barely managing to get it out in a legible manner.

This caused everyone to sweat-drop, as they struggled to believe the story that Ash was telling them.

While everyone was standing there in shock, Latias stood forward and tapped Lillie on the shoulder, getting her attention. As soon as she did, she began miming a drinking gesture, trying to indicate that she was thirsty. And while this was happening, Pikachu was again freaking out over the contact between Latias and Lillie.

"Oh, you want a drink? Sure, I can get you one."

Satisfied that she had been understood, Latias nodded happily and then followed her to the kitchen.

As this happened, Kiawe was looking over the exchange with interest, trying to figure out this 'Latias' that Ash knew. Now, he was no expert, but he was sure that he had heard about a Pokémon called Latias before. Something about them being Guardian Pokémon, not unlike the Tapus of Alola. He decided to question Ash a bit more about it.

"Hey Ash, why doesn't your friend talk? And why did she keep nuzzling you? That's something only Pokémon do in my experience."

This made Ash begin to sweat intensely, as he was now in a tricky situation. He then began looking around to check what everyone was doing. Sophocles had gotten bored and was now looking at some of Ash's cooler Pokémon, marvelling at how they seemed to radiate power.

Professor Kukui was currently outside with Ash's Totodile, trying to figure out how the small Pokémon had managed to learn Hydro Pump without evolving, something that had apparently never happened before. Rotom Dex was with him documenting the entire thing, shouting something along the lines of 'ground-breaking' research material.

Mallow and Lana had followed Lillie and Latias to the kitchen, both to quench their thirst and to talk to Ash's friend a bit more to find out more about her. They were now all conversing in the kitchen, out of earshot of Ash.

Sighing, Ash looked up at Kiawe. Kiawe was the only other person he knew who was around his age who had been entrusted with a Z-Ring, and he was a pretty-trustworthy person. Ash decided there and then that he could trust Kiawe with the secret. He would tell the others based on how Kiawe reacted.

"Ok, here's the deal, you can't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. I'm still deciding whether to tell the others. Right?"

Kiawe drew his head back, not expecting that as an answer. However, he did want to know so he nodded his agreement.

Satisfied with this, Ash took a deep breath.

"Right. Well, you see when I said that Latias wasn't a Pokémon name? Yeah… I was kinda lying about that. It is the name of a Pokémon, and Latias is a Pokémon. She's capable of disguising herself as a human which was actually part of how I met her."

Kiawe didn't react at first, simply nodding along. But after a moment, he finally blinked.

"WHAT!?"

That drew the attention of everyone in the house, causing them to come running to where they were talking to one another. Mallow was the first one there.

"Kiawe, what's wrong? Did something happen?" She asked in a concerned manner, since Kiawe did just scream bloody murder.

Kiawe was just standing there in shock, looking between Ash and Latias rapidly, not really sure how to react to the information he had just gotten. He then ran over to Latias and then began observing her, much to everyone's confusion.

Latias seemed really confused by this, while Pikachu was glaring daggers at his trainer. He takes his eyes off of him for two seconds and the dense idiot goes and tells the person most likely to blurt it out in surprise.

'Way to go you idiot.' Pikachu chastised mentally.

Kiawe kept looking Latias over until eventually he just burst out in a panic.

"Damn it! I can't find anything that gives you away! Your disguise is too perfect!"

Everyone just looked at him weirdly, wondering what the hell he was going on about, while Latias simply glared at Ash, now thinking similarly to Pikachu.

"Ash, what is Kiawe going on about, is there something about Latias you're not telling us?" Professor Kukui questioned.

Realising that he had no choice, Ash decided to simply tell them the truth.

"Just for the record, I would have told you lot about this eventually. Latias, could you please show them?"

Before they could comprehend what Ash was talking about, Latias let out a slightly annoyed huff, before she began to glow. After a few seconds of blinding light filling the room, in her place was her actual form, now looking nervously from person to person.

The resulting chaos was something that the group wouldn't forget for the rest of their lives.

Sophocles began screaming, not for any real reason, just because he wasn't sure what else to do. Someone that he thought was a perfectly normal human had turned out to be a Pokémon, and a dragon type from the looks of it. So, he simply began screaming.

Lana was also in shock, but she contained it better. The main thing she was doing was assessing Latias' ability to swim, since she looked so streamlined and had a perfect body to be a quick swimmer. She also seemed to be coated in a thin layer of feathers that had a thin layer of oil on them, which suggested she was somewhat waterproof.

Mallow was now trying to understand how the hell she had managed to hide her draconic features in a human form. Was it an actual transformation? Was it an illusion? If it was an illusion, shouldn't her large wings have smacked into something or someone? There must have been more to it.

Professor Kukui was speechless, because he was now in the presence of an actual **Legendary!** Being a Pokémon Professor meant that he had to be at least somewhat familiar with the Legendaries of the world, and this was the one of the few Legendaries who possessed a unique move to their species, something he took extra interest in. Though how did Ash know this Legendary?

Lillie was confused. She didn't have a single issue with touching Latias when she was in her human form, but now that she knew she was a Pokémon, Lillie's brain didn't know how to process it. Did she treat her like a Pokémon, or like a person? And then she realised that she was never actually a human, and was simply hiding her true form, and her brain made the connection to every time she touched Latias. This then led to Lillie having a minor freak out.

The one who was having the biggest freak out was Rotom Dex, who was in complete shock. The chances of Ash even seeing a Legendary were slim, even with Rotom Dex factoring in the fascination that Tapu Koko seemed to have in Ash (but he had no idea how wrong that estimate was). Yet not only was there one here, but the Legend seemed to be genuinely interested in Ash as a friend, something which shouldn't have been possible! Rotom Dex's figures state that Ash is a rather plain individual and is only capable of making friends under special circumstances like at school, so he should be the last person to befriend a Legend.

And Ash was now regretting telling them anything, especially since Pikachu was now slapping him around the head with his tail.

The rest of Ash's Pokémon were now just observing keenly, having gotten over the fact that Ash had caught Latias and were now simply curious to see how his human friends would react.

Latias was hovering there with a strong blush on her cheeks. After spending most of her life hidden away from large crowds, to be the centre of attention was something she wasn't used to, and now she was squirming under the various gazes.

" _Hey Ash, next time, please warn me before you do something like this. I'm not use to being spontaneous like you."_ Latias asked quietly, too embarrassed to raise her voice any higher.

As it turns out, even speaking was a mistake, as it gave everyone another reason to freak out.

"SHE CAN TALK!?"

And this caused another round of various degrees of freaking out, much to the embarrassment of Ash and Latias, and to the amusement of all of Ash's Pokémon. It was actually funny watching people freak out over a Legend when it wasn't them freaking out.

But before the questioning could continue, the sky outside turned dark, despite it still being incredibly early in the morning, and thunder rumbled, heralding the coming of a storm.

While everyone was wondering what was with the sudden storm appearance, especially since they hadn't had a heavy storm in Alola in years, Latias was now slightly worried.

" _Zekrom…"_

This pulled Ash and Pikachu from their thoughts on the storm, as they were now incredibly concerned, Pikachu being especially concerned. He still hadn't gotten over their first meeting when he lost all of his electrical abilities and had been practically reset by the powerful electric dragon. It was so embarrassing for someone of his experience to be beaten by a rookie Snivy that had never been in battle before, and despite having regained most of his strength since then, he had never felt 100% since then. And although Zekrom did help Ash save Victini, Pikachu had never fully trusted the Legendary after that first experience.

He did not want to go through that again.

However, it looked like he had no choice, since it seemed that Zekrom had other plans for his poor trainer.

With the potential threat fast approaching, Ash and Latias then rushed outside, followed shortly after by the Alolan crew and Ash's horde of Pokémon. As they got outside, they all noticed the unnatural nature of the storm.

It was clearly a powerful storm, but it was moving too quickly for it to be natural, and only seemed to be a few miles wide: clearly something that wasn't created naturally. And the fact that it seemed to have a focal point in the middle, spinning around a globe of pure energy.

As they observed this globe, it suddenly split from the storm, dive bombing towards the ground towards them. Within the span of a few seconds, it had crashed into the ground just in front of them, causing a large dust crowd to brush over them.

After a few seconds of coughing and spluttering, the dust cloud had cleared, and in the crater stood Zekrom, and the Alolan crew were in complete shock.

If the appearance of Latias had sent them into shock, Zekrom's appearance could have sent them into a coma. Zekrom towered over them, standing at over twenty feet tall and with a wingspan of several meters in each direction. Its tail was still humming with power, the bright blue glow it had being the only indication that it had any power stored up and ready for use. And its eyes were a piercing red, almost as if it were capable of judging each of their souls. But for some reason, it was focused on Pikachu.

Which was making the small mouse very nervous.

* * *

Zekrom remembered this Pikachu well, and the memories he had made him feel guilty. He had stripped the small yellow mouse of its electrical abilities when he had attacked Zekrom, which he considered an insult. However, upon reflection, it was clear that the Pikachu was simply protecting his trainer, the Chosen One no less. And he had stripped him of his power.

And while he could tell that the Pikachu had regained most of its strength, it clearly was nothing compared to what it should have been.

So, in order to repay the Pikachu for this misdeed, and as a reward for the Chosen One, he had decided to give this Pikachu considerable power. He was going to not only return his power to its natural level, he was going to up it to levels way beyond even the most powerful of Electric types, with the only Pokémon being able to outpower this new level of electrical power being the Legendaries themselves.

At first, Zekrom had thought that this would be overkill for a single Pokémon, especially since this was the only Pokémon of the Chosen One that Zekrom was capable of giving such abilities to. However, considering the next part of his reward, Zekrom had decided that this kind of power was necessary if he didn't want to **kill** the Pikachu. Afterall, he was going to teach him Fusion Bolt.

Yes, Zekrom was going to go through with it. This would be the first Pokémon that wasn't a Legendary to perform the ancient move, and Zekrom couldn't think of a better Pokémon to use it. With all the times when the Chosen One has been the one that various Legendary Pokémon has relied on for survival, the idea of his main partner having the power to obliterate his opponents could be a huge help. But this move had some serious power requirements, even from a Legendary such as himself, so he had to up the Pikachu's power in order to keep him alive.

Looking down at the Pikachu, Zekrom simply nodded a greeting, before charging up his power. But this caused all the humans and Pokémon present to either panic or prepare for combat. Zekrom couldn't help but notice that Latias had already appeared. Chances were she had already allowed herself to be caught by the Chosen One. He couldn't help but smile internally at this, the Chosen One certainly deserved it.

After a brief moment of charging up, Zekrom raised his claw-like appendage to Pikachu, and then allowed the energy to pass through.

* * *

Pikachu was terrified at this point.

Not only had Zekrom been starring intently at him for the past few minutes, but now he had charged up and seemed to be targeting him.

He noticed that several of his teammates had powered up attacks, waiting for the signal to attack, not wanting their teammate to be incinerated by the powerful dragon. Even Latias was poised for battle, not entirely sure what Zekrom was planning.

However, when the energy simply passed into Pikachu harmlessly, they all relaxed somewhat, but not completely letting their guard down just yet.

But Pikachu didn't care about that, he couldn't seem to focus on everything other than this pure, unadulterated **power!**

It was so intense! It felt weird, but at the same time, Pikachu felt like he had something which he had been missing for so long returned to him, and now he felt whole again. And then some, as he felt stronger than ever. In fact, he felt like he could challenge Zekrom himself and stand a decent chance of winning, something he wouldn't have said just five minutes again.

And for some reason, he had a term rattling around in his mind, like it was important: **Fusion Bolt**. Yes, it was some kind of move, but he wondered what it was and what it did.

As Pikachu began focusing back onto the present, he managed to look up just in time to catch Zekrom looking down at him with a pleased look. It then beckoned towards the empty beach, giving a wordless challenge to the Pikachu. Not wanting to anger the large Legend, Pikachu followed it to the beach.

Ash had no idea what was happening, since a lot of it was going over his head. But then he remembered that he had someone who could translate for him, so he turned to Latias looking for an explanation.

Noticing his look, Latias began explaining what she had realised was going on.

" _It would seem that Zekrom has blessed Pikachu with the power of Fusion Bolt, and is now teaching him on how to use it."_

"Wait, does that mean a battle?"

When Latias nodded, a large smile broke out on Ash's face, and then he broke out into a sprint to catch up with Pikachu, not wanting to miss the opportunity for a battle.

When he caught up with them, he took up position behind Pikachu, which Zekrom approved of. When Ash had caught his breath, he took his basic battle stance.

"Ok Pikachu, lets do this! Start off with a Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded, with Pikachu responding with great fervour.

However, when Pikachu let loose his signature Thunderbolt, it caused the very ground beneath it to heave and buckle under the sheer power of the move. And when it hit Zekrom, the resulting explosion caused the ground to shake and knocked everyone backwards.

When the dust settled, Zekrom was obviously still standing, but had actually been somewhat damaged by the attack, which seemed to cause the Legend of Ideals to smirk (or the Dragon equivalent of a smirk at least). But Ash and Pikachu were standing there in shock. They both had done great things together, and Pikachu had given out huge power before in desperate situations, but nothing like that. That level of power was unreal, and he had put in just over two-thirds of his power.

Imagine if he had gone all out from the start, he might have actually **hurt** Zekrom.

Satisfied with this, Zekrom then spoke for the first time since arriving.

" _Now, make use of the ancient technique. Fusion Bolt!"_

Figuring that this was some kind of move, Ash did simply what he felt was natural.

"Ok Pikachu, lets see what this Fusion Bolt is. Let's go all out: Fusion Bolt!"

And Pikachu certainly did go all out, as he pooled a lot of his power into this attack. While he didn't let his full power loose in this attack, he certainly put enough for it to be considered a finishing move. In fact, this was of a similar level as to what he unleashed against Giovanni when he destroyed the Abyssal Ruins. He was sure this would be enough to impress the powerful dragon.

As he charged up this powerful attack, the black stripes on his back began glowing blue, not unlike how Zekrom's tail was glowing not five minutes ago. And a large globe of electrical plasma energy was building up in front of Pikachu, already larger than his own body. The power that was radiating from this sphere dwarfed even that of the Electric Z-Move.

And then Pikachu unleashed it, with the simple act of letting it loose almost knocking him backwards.

And when it hit Zekrom, it was the equivalent of a miniature nuke, sending everyone flying back several meters, Pikachu included. Even Zekrom was blasted off of his feet, being blasted into the ocean. While not majorly hurt, Zekrom had certainly felt _that_ one.

After a few minutes of everyone getting back on their feet, Zekrom nodded his approval, before flying off. His role was done.

Ash and Pikachu simply stood there in shock. They had just knocked back a God-tier Legendary with a single attack. And Pikachu was only slightly winded.

The others were also in a state of shock, with even Ash's Pokémon being amazed at what they just witnessed. Kiawe was the first to break the silence.

"Wow, imagine that power behind a Z-Move."

And in response, Ash and Pikachu could only grin manically. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 5**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Ash was still coming down from the high of that battle with Zekrom. Pikachu had become so **powerful!** He wasn't sure exactly what had happened between Pikachu and Zekrom, but it had clearly ended with Pikachu being much more powerful than he had ever been, and that was saying a lot. Pikachu had single handily defeated both a Regice and a Latios in the past, both of whom were powerful Pokémon in their own right.

But to knock back Zekrom like that, that was something else.

Looking over at where Pikachu was still standing after launching that monstrous attack, Ash realised that he wasn't the only one having these thoughts. Pikachu was just standing there, looking at his own paws in shock, while still panting for breath as he recovered from blasting Zekrom with so much power.

'So it seems that attack wipes Pikachu out, best save it as a last reserve then if that's the case.' Ash mentally noted, storing that important battle information away for later.

Getting over his shock, Ash ran over to Pikachu and scooped him up in a hug.

"Pikachu! That was incredible! I've never seen you blast someone so hard before. With that kind of power, we're sure to win in the next league we do."

It took Pikachu a minute to get over the shock as well, but once he did he was soon joining in with Ash's cheering, squeaking in excitement while nuzzling up against Ash's cheek. He was right after all, with that kind of power, he'd never be beaten again. Not by Gary's Umbreon, not by Trip's Serperior, not even by Paul's annoying Electivire! Upon thinking of that last one though, Pikachu stopped short, as he remembered that Electivire had Volt Drive.

'Ok, still need a way to beat Electivire, but it's a start!'

However, his and Ash's celebrations were cut short but the confused shouting of one of the Alolan crew, who they had both forgotten about after getting caught up in the whole Zekrom business.

They probably had some explaining to do.

Having both stopped their celebrations, Ash, with Pikachu now resting on his shoulder, turned to see Kiawe and Professor Kukui shouting in shock, something about 'Legendaries' and 'godly moves' or something of the like. The others were simply standing there in total shock, trying to form words but instead just standing there with their jaws moving repeatedly up and down. The rest of Ash's Pokémon were also in shock, but there was a slight jealous look in their eyes, as they felt annoyed that they hadn't received a powerup as well.

And Latias was simply hovering there, with a look of admiration and glee sparkling in her eyes.

Deciding that she was probably the best to ask, Ash approached her, intent on figuring out why this weird stuff was happening to him.

"Hey Latias, do you happen to know why Zekrom just so happened to randomly show up and give Pikachu a power up?" Ash questioned, an inquisitive look in his eyes.

Switching from her admirative look to a nervous one, Latias simply nodded, clearly too shy to actually answer him.

"Alright. Would you also happen to know why all my Pokémon randomly show up in the same country as me, halfway across the globe from where they should be, hmm?" Ash questioned again, now getting uncomfortably close to Latias.

Now visibly sweating, Latias nodded again, but not before looking away in embarrassment.

"Right then, lets head inside. You have some explaining to do." And with that, he turned and began making his way to the, somehow still intact, house that belonged to the Professor.

Making his way to the Alolan crew, Ash simply raised his hand before they bombarded him with questions.

"Look, I don't really know what's going on either, but Latias does. She's gonna explain it to me now, so if you wanna find out, then follow me."

Content with this, the others simply nodded and followed Ash inside, followed by Latias and the rest of Ash's large group of Pokémon.

Once they had gotten inside, everyone took a seat and waited for Latias to take her place in the front. After a few minutes of breathing to clear her nerves, Latias eventually took her spot in front of everyone.

 _"Ok, I'm going to keep this short because if I don't I'm going to pass out due to nerves. Basically, this is all a culmination of what Ash has done in the past, and him getting what's rightfully his."_

This caused up a stir with the Alolan crew, as they bombarded her with questions.

"What Ash has done? What could he have done?"

"Did he piss off a Legendary? That sounds like something Ash would do."

"Does It tie in to why you're here? Why **are** you here?

"Wait, I just realised, you were a Pokémon the whole time?"

Raising her claw to silence everyone, Latias waited a moment before carrying on.

 _"Ash isn't in any trouble, in fact it's the total opposite. He's being rewarded."_

This left everyone, including Ash, in a stunned silence. For a few minutes, everyone just stared at Latias while they slowly processed her words.

Mallow was the first to recover, and she decided to ask a question that was lingering in her mind.

"What for?"

After seeing everyone nod in agreement to this question (surprisingly, Ash also nodded along), Latias took a deep breath and started explaining.

 _"As I'm sure you've realised by now is that Ash is an extraordinary trainer, and is one of the nicest people as well, caring for people and Pokémon alike and always going out of his way to try and help them, even if he ends up putting himself through great harm."_

Everyone nodded in agreement to this, with all of them being able to think of a situation where Ash had gone out of his way to help them.

Mallow remembered when Ash had helped her to find the perfect ingredient to add to her signature dish, and the trouble with Team Rocket they had to deal with.

Lillie recalled all the times Ash had tried to help her overcome her fear of touching Pokémon, with her ability to touch Snowy and Pikachu being, in part, thanks to him.

Lana thought back to when he had joined her in her fishing trip and helped her battle the Totem Wishiwashi and earn the Waterium Z, which she wore proudly on her wrist.

Kiawe reminisced about when Ash had helped him train Turtonator and come up with the Shell Smash strategy that allowed him to defeat Marowak and reclaim the Wela Crown.

Sophocles fondly recalled when Ash had helped him and Charjabug win the Charjabug Race not too long ago, and how much effort he had put in to help secure that victory.

Professor Kukui glanced at Lycanroc, who was currently paying full attention along with the other Alolan Pokémon (the rest of Ash's Pokémon didn't seem as surprised by this revelation), and remembered when he and Ash had found out that Rockruff had been training at Clawmark Hill fighting a Magmar, and despite not being one of Ash's Pokémon, how Ash had gone out of his way to teach him Rock Throw, which helped him secure his win.

As this revelation spread throughout the Alolan Crew, Latias continued.

 _"Ash has **always** been like this, helping anyone he comes across, no matter who they are or what it is they ask of him. And that includes the Legendaries of the world."_

This broke everyone from their recollections, their attention now solely on Latias.

 _"Over the past five years, Ash has travelled across the globe in his personal quest to become a Pokémon Master. However, he seems to have an uncanny ability to stumble into trouble. Rather than run from it, Ash always jumped in and did what he could to help. And over the last five years, the Legendaries have needed help more than ever."_

Everyone was leaning in close now, hanging off of Latias' every word. They wanted to know more about Ash's involvement with the Legendaries.

 _"Since starting his journey, Ash has helped the Legendaries of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos, including myself, Zekrom, and even Arceus herself."_

This caused everyone's eyes to bug out of their heads. Ash had met Arceus? Not only that, he had **saved** Arceus? The creator of all things Pokémon? The ultimate being? As they looked over at Ash, he and Pikachu were simply sitting there with a small smile on their face as their eyes were slightly glazed over, clearly reminiscing over the events in his mind.

"So how many Legendaries have you met Ash?" Professor Kukui questioned, his curiosity demanding that he ask.

"Erm, a few. I can really remember the order, and some I've seen more than once. So I've seen Latias, Zekrom, Mew, Mewtwo, Lugia, Celebi, erm, Suicune, Shaymin, Groudon, Kyogre, Diancie, erm, there are more but I can't think of them right now." Ash listed to himself, trying to recount the huge list of Legendary Pokémon that he had met.

The others simply stared at him. He had met so many of the world's Legendaries, which were practically Gods, and he couldn't even remember all of their names.

Not taking notice of their shock, Latias carried on.

 _"Ash has even helped to save the world. Without Ash, we would not be here today. And this has happened multiple times now."_

If it weren't for the fact that it had already happened, their jaws would have dropped to the floor. Ash had saved the world? He was the saviour of the world? And he had done this multiple times?

This was the same guy who came into school the other day wearing his clothes backwards because he was half asleep!

Suddenly, Sophocles began frowning, and turned back to Latias.

"So what does that have to do with what happened with Pikachu? Or with you being here?"

In response, Latias began blushing brightly, so much so that it became painfully easy to see despite her red colouring.

 _"Well, despite having done so much for us, we never really thanked him for any of it. If anything, he'd thank us and then would leave."_

This caused everyone to double-take at Ash. Ash had helped the Pokémon that were akin to Gods, and had apparently risked his life time and time again without hesitation. And he never asked for anything in return? Not even something simple like a photograph? Ash had lots of photos of his various Pokémon, the friends he had met while travelling, and occasions that were important to him. And yet he never dared to ask for a photo of a Legendary?

 _"Yeah, that's… kind of embarrassing for us."_ Latias muttered, before reaffirming herself and carrying on.

 _"But that's why we're here now. We're giving Ash rewards for his heroic service to the Legendaries and to the world itself. Zekrom it seems decided to give Pikachu, Ash's constant companion and assistant in saving the world,"_ something which made the small mouse puff up in pride, _"a powerup and the knowledge of Fusion Bolt, his signature move. Pikachu is most likely the most powerful non-Legendary Electric type in the world now."_

This made Ash fall out of his chair in shock (the first proper reaction since Latias began explaining herself). And the others were no better, looking at Pikachu in shock (and with Ash's Pokémon, a slight hint of envy), as the realisation of what this meant began to come into context. Pikachu was the strongest Electric Type – period. As stated by a legendary.

While they were still in shock, Latias carried on.

 _"I think I know who was behind all of Ash's Pokémon being here. This seems like something Hoopa would do."_

Ash and Pikachu began nodding to this, mentally agreeing with this conclusion. This did seem like something he'd do as part of a 'prank'. They did think it was strange that he didn't come and say hi, but maybe he couldn't. And while they were thinking about this, the others were freaking out over the mention of Hoopa, an incredibly powerful Legendary.

Suddenly, Ash's eyes widened, as he realised something.

"AH! I FORGOT TO CALL PROFESSOR OAK!"

Everyone sweat-dropped at this, especially after being praised so highly by a Legendary Pokémon.

After a few moments to collect herself, Kiawe then realised something.

"Wait a minute, if Legendaries are rewarding Ash, and you're a Legendary, then what is your reward?"

This caught everyone's attention, as it did bring forward an interesting question. What was Latias going to reward Ash with? Hoopa had brought Ash his Pokémon, and Zekrom had given Pikachu a powerup and a powerful move. What could this Legendary in front of them give Ash?

Latias' face then lit up, and she quickly flew over to where Ash had been put down when he had fainted earlier. She remained up there for a moment, searching for something. She then flew down after finding it, now clutching something in her claw. She then presented it to everyone, showing a solitary Pokéball.

This left everyone confused for a moment, as they just stared at the ball in confusion. They didn't figure out what it meant until she then handed the ball over to Ash, who seemed a little faint now that he had been reminded about the ball.

And then the penny dropped.

"YOU LET HIM CATCH YOU?"

"ASH HAS A LEGENDARY?"

"DOES THAT MEAN WE'LL BE SEEING MORE OF YOU?"

"Wait a minute, Latias was a Pokémon earlier when I showed her to the kitchen…"

Latias in response just simply blushed, and then began nuzzling close to Ash, who looked so lost and confused, completely unsure on how to act.

"So… what now?" He asked.

* * *

A few hours passed as everyone calmed down and carried on with their day. Since it seemed that everyone had been coated in a huge layer of dust from Zekrom and Pikachu's clash, Ash had decided that he was going to give all of his Pokémon a wash, and had recruited the help of the Alolan crew to do so. While they were still in shock over the information that Latias had revealed to them, they happily agreed, eager to see all of Ash's Pokémon. To help divide up the work, Ash had divided up the group, so they were washing certain types. Mallow was washing the grass types, Lana was washing the water types, Kiawe was washing the fire types (who seemed very against the idea but reluctantly agreed anyway), Sophocles was washing the flying types, and Ash was washing the rest. Halfway through though, he stopped briefly to call Professor Oak and tell him that all of his Pokémon were fine.

While he was doing this, Latias had practically been attached to Ash at the hip, barely leaving his side, constantly nuzzling him. Now that she didn't have to hide herself as a human, she could be herself, and she wanted to be affectionate to Ash. But she felt like someone was starring at her and she couldn't figure out who.

The only time she had left his side was while he called Professor Oak (Ash didn't want Oak knowing that he had caught a Legendary yet, until he felt that the attention from the Legendaries had passed), during which she had recounted the tale of how she and Ash had met. This had left the Alola crew with teary eyes as she told them the tragic tale of how her brother had perished, but despite that she had remained optimistic. While she was sad about losing her brother, Ash had saved her, something that she wasn't sure would have happened if he hadn't of been there. He had also been a good friend, being the first friend she had who she hadn't known her own life (like her brother and Bianca). The fact she could travel with him as she pleased now made her incredibly happy, especially in this lovely region.

Soon, all of Ash's Pokémon had been washed (including Latias, which had been twenty minutes of Ash trying to scrub Latias while she nuzzled him), and they were all lazing about. However, as they were relaxing, they were interrupted by the sudden appearance, of a not very happy, Tapu Koko.

And he wasn't alone.

With him was a trio of other Tapus, only one of which Ash recognised: Tapu Lele. With her was two other Tapus, one who looked somewhat like a bull and one who looked somewhat like a water type.

And they all looked angry.

Sensing that they were here for her, Latias suddenly floated up to Tapu Koko, and began squeaking at him. Soon, the two of them were caught in a heated argument, leaving the other three Tapus to their own devices.

The bull like Tapu seemed to be observing Ash's Pokémon, locking eyes with the more powerful ones like Charizard and Sceptile (all of whom were getting ready for a fight to break out). The water-type Tapu was much more relaxed, calmly floating between the Pokémon present as she mentally assessed them (lingering around Ash's cuter Pokémon). The final Tapu, Tapu Lele, was much more friendly, actively seeking out Lycanroc and nuzzling against him (much to his discomfort and the amusement of Gliscor who was loitering just behind him).

Everyone was on edge as the Tapus did as they pleased, when suddenly Tapu Koko floated down and took up a battle stance. Latias came down as well, floating to Ash's side.

 _"Right, here's the situation. I've told Tapu Koko what I know and what's happened, and now he wants a battle. I don't know if that's a good thing or not."_ Latias explained, a thoughtful look on her face.

However, Ash simply smiled.

"Don't worry Latias, Tapu Koko has battled us a few times now. He seems to enjoy testing us, not that we don't enjoy the challenge as well. Pikachu, let's do this!"

And just like that, Ash stepped forward with Pikachu jumping forward to answer Tapu Koko's challenge.

Everyone soon got into a position to watch, as the battle of the century was currently brewing. The Electric type guardian of Melemele Island, vs, the strongest non-legendary Electric type in the world and main Pokémon of the Chosen One.

The two Pokémon were staring each other down, both waiting for the other to make the first move. Suddenly, Tapu Koko blurred out of sight, preparing to make a strafing run on the little mouse.

Before he could land the attack, Ash had already reacted. "Pikachu, he's on the left, get out of the way!"

Pikachu responded accordingly, leaping backwards and out of the way of the blitz attack, allowing Tapu Koko to pass by without touching him.

"Now, use Thunderbolt!"

As Pikachu flipped in the air, he began charging up a Thunderbolt. He wasn't expecting this to do much, but he could see why Ash wanted him to do it. His electrical energy had been amped up tenfold, and they needed to see he could do against an opponent who they had faced before. That was the only way to truly sense how much he had improved.

Soon he had charged up an average powered Thunderbolt, and waited for Tapu Koko to slow down enough to attack. Once he did so, he unleashed the Thunderbolt, the bolt of lightning digging a crater by tearing up the very earth as it powered towards Tapu Koko.

The strike was much faster than Tapu Koko was expecting, and it hit him straight in the chest.

And threw him through a loop as it blasted him halfway down the beach outside Professor Kukui's house, leaving him buried in the Earth.

This sent the Tapus into a panic, and even the Alolan crew were shocked over this. Tapu Koko was a tough Pokémon, being able to shrug off Pikachu's Z type move with only a few scratches, yet here a simple Thunderbolt had practically floored him.

However, he wasn't knocked out completely, as he rose from the crater while clutching his left arm. Having lost his drive for the fight, he floated off, followed shortly behind by the other Tapus (with Bulu making threatening gestures towards Ash's Pokémon and Lele quickly planting a kiss on Lycanroc before leaving).

As they left, Ash and Pikachu looked at each other as something dawned on them.

So far, they had been given gifts from three Legendaries, and had ended up with a new team member, all of their previous team members had shown up, and Pikachu had been given huge power.

That was just three Legendaries. They had helped at least a few dozen. What else could possibly happen?

Little did Ash know, this was barely the beginning.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere on Ula'ula Island, reality began to ripple as something tried to rip through into our world. For the briefest of seconds, a jellyfish like shape appeared, trying to force itself through the hole.

It tried again for a few minutes, before the ripple stopped and any trace of the distortion disappeared.

It would seem that Ash's gifts were well timed, as there seemed to be a new threat around the corner, and he would need all the tools he can get his hand on to get through it. Or the world would be in danger of an invasion.

* * *

Hey everyone, another update here. Sorry there wasn't another gift for Ash in this chapter, but I wanted to take a chapter to slow down and explain things to the characters (as they were probably pretty lost at this point). Hopefully you enjoy it anyway, and the next chapter will have another Legendary.

Which brings me to why I'm writing this extra bit. I'm not sure what Legendary to write about in the next chapter, so I want to ask you if you have a preference. I already have gifts planned out, I just don't know when to use them. The choices are:

Mew

Victini

One of the Lake Trio

Other

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	6. Chapter 6

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 6**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

As Tapu Koko flew back to his isolated home in the Ruins of Conflict, he was replaying everything that just happened again in his mind.

And when it got to the part where the little Pikachu (who admittedly **did** have a lot of potential) blasted him aside like he was a simple flying type instead of a Legendary guardian whose job it was to protect the Alola region from any threats, he replayed the memory again.

'HOW THE HELL DID HE MANAGE THAT?!' Tapu Koko raged to himself in his mind, refusing to accept the outcome of what just happened.

He knew that the Chosen One's Pokémon was all naturally strong, it was a requirement. Since he ended up being responsible for saving the Pokémon world and the Legendaries that guard it repeatedly, to the point where he could probably count it as a profession, all of his Pokémon were naturally stronger. Not to the point of being overpowered, but so that they had the potential to beat any potential threats he came across. But this was way beyond that.

Latias had explained to him that Zekrom had come and given the Pikachu an immense powerup, which is part of the reason why he and the other Tapus had rushed to the area. They were still freaking out over the revelation of Ash being the Chosen One that all Legendaries had heard of when they sensed Zekrom's arrival. A Legendary of his magnitude being in Alola was a huge deal, so they snapped out of their minor freak out and had rushed off to investigate.

By the time they had arrived, they had missed Zekrom, but had found the so-called Chosen One and his friends relaxing with their Pokémon (and Tapu Koko couldn't help but notice that the number of Pokémon present had practically quadrupled). So they approached the Chosen One, each of the Tapus having their own goal when dealing with the Chosen One.

Tapu Koko, ever the practical one, decided to try and figure out what the hell was going on. And the fact that Latias, another Legendary was there, was present. That needed sorting out as well. So he waited for Latias to approach him, and then began relentless throwing questions at her, which to her credit, she did answer.

Tapu Lele had decided to seek out the cute Lycanroc that she had dealt with in the past, not really caring about the fact that there were other Legendaries showing up in their region. Once she had found him in the horde of Pokémon, she began nuzzling against him, waiting for the other Tapus for do what they needed to do.

Tapu Fini had decided to simply float through the amassed Pokémon, seeing what kind of Pokémon the Chosen One had in his team, which was a vast group. She hadn't see such a large collection of Pokémon under a single trainer in years, and the fact that they all radiated strength was intriguing. She was surprised however, by the fact that there were so many cute Pokémon under his ownership. And despite how much she simply wanted to pick some of them up and nuzzle against them, she could tell that they all had the same strength and potential as Ash's bigger Pokémon. It was simply incredible.

Tapu Bulu had been much more aggressive, and had sought out the Pokémon that seemed like the Chosen One's strongest Pokémon and had stared them down. He focused mainly on the Charizard, Sceptile, Greninja, Infernape, and Krookodile, and a few other Pokémon who seemed strong as well, all of whom simply radiated pure strength. What was surprising to Tapu Bulu was the fact that they had **stared back!** They weren't intimidated by the fact that he, a Legendary Pokémon, was staring them down. It was amazing that these Pokémon were so gutsy.

After this, the fight between Tapu Koko and Pikachu happened, where Tapu Koko got easily bested. And then they made a tactical retreat. And now that they had returned to the sanctuary that was Tapu Koko's home, they could reflect on what had happened.

Which was basically them freaking out.

Tapu Bulu decided to vent some steam, not appreciating how the Chosen One's Pokémon had dismissed his threat, getting ready to actually challenge him. The worse part was that, deep down, Bulu didn't know if he could beat all of them. Some of the smaller ones he could beat with ease, but some of them looked like they could actually beat him. He was especially weary of the Charizard, who had actually **looked** **down** at him. And the worst part was he felt that arrogance was well founded. So he went to go and find some pillars to smash.

Tapu Fini had decided to go and cool off in a nearby lake, the stress of the day just being too much and warranting a good, long rest. This discovery had been a lot to take in, and as such, she needed time to adjust. So she went to take a nap.

Tapu Koko, still wounded from the brief clash with Pikachu, went to rest as well. He went to where he would normally rest and began to get comfortable, and began munching on some berries to help speed up his recovery.

And Tapu Lele began bothering Tapu Koko.

"Well, that was interesting, I'm assuming that the Pikachu wasn't that strong before, based on what you told us earlier."

Glaring at Tapu Lele, Tapu Koko shook his head.

"No, it would seem that Zekrom has made that Pikachu a walking apocalypse. Gave him power considerate to ours and on top of that, taught him the most powerful Electric type move there is. He's practically a minor Legendary."

Tapu Lele's eyes widened at this, having missed this when she was cosying up to Lycanroc.

"Wait, so you're saying that the Chosen One has a Pokémon who could solo us in one on one combat?" Tapu Lele questioned, now very curious as to the potential of this weaponised Pikachu.

Surprisingly, Tapu Koko shook his head.

"No, I'm saying that the Chosen One has a Pikachu who has the power to best **ALL** of us, and the experience to actually do so. And the worst part is, I don't think its gonna stop there. The Chosen One could have an army of them soon."

Tapu Lele simply hovered there, not sure how to respond.

"So what do we do?"

"If it was anyone else, I would suggest taking this to Arceus herself, because no human can be trusted with this kind of power: normally. However, if this truly is the Chosen One, this may work in our favour. We should stand back for now, and make sure that none of the other Legendaries which are sure to show up don't cause too much trouble. That's all we **can** do."

Nodding in agreement, Tapu Lele looked out of the small window near Tapu Koko's bed, the one which gave him a clear view of the entirety of Melemele Island. And she began to wonder, just what would happen next?

* * *

Pikachu was currently relaxing on the beach near Professor Kukui's home, taking the time to soak up some sun.

Ash was currently with the others, telling them the various adventures that the two of them have been through across the globe, and all of the Legendaries that they have met. Latias was currently with him, also keen on hearing these stories, having only heard rumours of all the adventures that he had been through.

But Pikachu wasn't really interested in all of that, having actually lived through it all. There were also some memories that he wasn't keen of thinking about, like that time at the Tree of Beginning when the tree itself had actually 'killed' Ash: something that still hurt Pikachu emotionally to think about. So he was going to relax for a bit.

But while he was on his own for a little bit, some of the other Pokémon in Ash's extended family decided to come and keep him company. Joining him was Butterfree (who's family was currently enticed by Ash's story), Gible, Infernape, Lycanroc, Bayleef (who looked extremely agitated by something), and surprisingly Charizard. The group of Pokémon approached Pikachu and sat down around him, before engaging Pikachu with a few questions.

"So this is what you lot have been up to since letting me go? Must be exciting." Butterfree mentioned casually, looking out over the expansive ocean in front of them.

Catching Pikachu's attention, he looked towards the Bug type who had been there at the start of Ash's journey.

"That reminds me Butterfree, I was meant to ask: are you ok with this? I mean, I couldn't help but notice that when you showed up, you and your entire family had Pokéballs, obviously for Ash. Are you ok with being Ash's Pokémon again?" Pikachu questioned, concerned for his old friend.

However, Butterfree shrugged (or attempted to, since he didn't have any discernible shoulders), not looking particularly bothered.

"Of course, if I'm honest, I've been missing this. Its not like I've been taken away from my family, and now I get to go on adventures again, and my family get to meet the most important human I know. It's a win-win." Butterfree stated, clearly quite happy with the situation.

Happy that this issue had been addressed, Pikachu relaxed again, before being questioned by the usual strong but silent type.

"So how do you think we'd fair in a fight?" Charizard questioned, being the ever-constant battle-driven egomaniac that he typically was. It didn't surprise Pikachu, but it did beg the question: who was stronger now. Charizard was typically considered the powerhouse of powerhouses in Ash's extended family (something that Pikachu had come to accept), but now? Now it seemed like he had been knocked off his throne, something that was sure to anger him.

And Pikachu wasn't going to humble about it either. Charizard wasn't the only one who was obsessed with battle.

"Honestly, I reckon if we both went at full strength, your only hope would be to try and knock me out before I get a solid hit on you." Pikachu answered honestly, with a hint of arrogance laced into the words (because he was going to **enjoy** this for as long as he could).

This seemed to agitate the powerful Fire type, but he said nothing, simply huffing and nodding to signify that he had heard. Much to the amusement of the others, who simply chuckled at Charizard's haughty attitude. However, Lycanroc (who was still new to all of this), simply stared at them in shock.

"Wait, so this isn't that surprising to you? We've dealt with three Legendaries, not including the ones native to Alola, one of whom has joined our team, and chances are we are going to deal with a few dozen more according to you lot, and you're acting like this is just another day."

The others chuckled at this, with Infernape leaning over to wrap his arm around Lycanroc's neck.

"You're still new to this, aren't you?" Infernape questioned kindly, recognising the sheer shock that was in the young Pokémon's voice. He once had that same tone in his voice when he travelled with Ash. When Lycanroc nodded gingerly, Infernape simply patted him on the back a few times.

"You'll get used to it, it's a part of being one of Ash's Pokémon. Hell, I've only travelled with Ash for half a region, and I've seen about a dozen Legendaries, some of whom are responsible for managing the very fabric of reality. Hell, we've befriended some of them. Ash is just that kind of person. I mean, you've already seen that with the way that pink Legendary was nuzzling up to you."

At the mention of Tapu Lele's affectionate nuzzling that she had done when the Tapus had shown up, causing the other Pokémon present to laugh, much to Lycanroc's embarrassment, who could only blush in response.

Surprisingly again, Charizard spoke up.

"With how many of them we've come across, it was only a matter of time until one of them joined us. I'm actually surprised that it took this long."

This caused everyone apart from the shocked Lycanroc to nod in agreement, seeing the truth in his words. But then Lycanroc had another question to ask the more experienced Pokémon.

"Wait, so does that mean you've battle Legendaries as well?"

To Lycanroc's surprise, Charizard, Pikachu, AND Gible (who had been quietly sitting there, simply enjoying hanging out with the bigger and older Pokémon) all raised an arm to signify that they had fought a Legendary.

"I've fought a Darkrai. Got beat. Couldn't bite it. Waiting for a rematch." Gible stated, mimicking a biting gesture as he thought back to the difficult fight.

"I've fought quite a few Legendaries, most of them trying to kill Ash. I've beaten an Articuno as well in a Frontier Battle. That was fun." Charizard said in a nonchalant manner, shrugging his shoulders casually.

"I've fought so many Legendaries now, I've lost count. But this is the first time I can say that I've felt confident while facing a Legendary." Pikachu admitted, sharing his true opinion on his battles with some of the most powerful Pokémon in the world.

Lycanroc just sat there in complete and utter shock, his entire body shutting down as he took this in. Apparently, he was going to be regularly interacting with gods.

Fantastic.

Pikachu chuckled at Lycanroc's shock, missing the naïveté of a new team getting use to Ash's weird life. It was then that he noticed that Bayleef hadn't said anything so far, and she was actually just sitting there grumbling to herself.

It was then that Pikachu realised exactly what it was that was bothering her, and chuckled to himself.

"Feeling jealous Bayleef?" Pikachu asked, a cheeky grin filling his face, which caused Bayleef to splutter and blush in response.

But before she could respond to Pikachu's jab, their relaxation was interrupted by the sound of Ash shouting in shock.

"Here we go again." Infernape chuckled to himself, before flipping up onto his feet along with the others, before rushing over to where Ash and the others were, ready for whatever was happening.

* * *

Ash was enjoying this trip down memory lane, as he retold his adventures that he had been through throughout his journey over the past five years. He had just finished telling them about his league attempt at the Ever Grande Conference and was about to go on to talk about his second journey through Kanto to challenge the Battle Frontier when he was interrupted by Kiawe.

"Wait, so Pikachu was **possessed** by Groudon? Like, actually possessed?"

"Oh yeah, it was cos he held the Blue Orb. Be careful with those kinds of items by the way, just don't touch anything that is important to a Legendary, unless they allow you. I can personally tell you that it never ends well." Ash said sagely, as he **was** weirdly knowledgeable in the subject of 'how to deal with Legendaries'.

As Kiawe and the others looked at him weirdly as he tried to give them advice on how to interact with Legendaries (which before today, they would have thought was Ash talking nonsense, but now were somewhat forced to believe it). All except for Lillie, who looked extremely pale and was staring blankly forward.

Having noticed this, Ash lent forward to nudge her, which shocked her back to attention.

"Hey, are you ok Lillie? You seem kind of spaced out." Ash asked gently, slightly concerned for her.

Smiling slightly, Lillie nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I think so. I'm just in shock over the fact that Latias was a Pokémon. I touched her, and I was fine with it. Or I was…"

Realising what she was worried about, Ash nodded, realising what he could do.

"Hey, I've got an idea. Hey Latias! Can I borrow you?" Ash called out.

Latias, who had been talking to Rotom Dex (who was very excited to talk to an actual Legendary), looked over to her new trainer, and then quickly darted over to Ash.

" _Yes? How can I help?"_ She asked eagerly.

"Can you turn human for a little bit please? I'll explain later."

Confused at first, Latias just nodded and obliged as she suddenly began glowing blue, turning herself back into her form which looked like Bianca.

Smiling, Ash turned back to Lillie.

"So, how does this make you feel Lillie?" Ash asked, wondering if this was the potential cure to Lillie's Pokémon phobia that they had been looking for.

Lillie, however, was simply shaking, muttering to herself that she was simply another person as she stuck her hand out towards the transformed Latias. But before she could actually touch Latias, a pink shape darted across her vision, causing her to jump back in surprise.

Ash however, had it much worse, as the pink shape speared into his stomach, knocking him off his feet and causing him to shout in surprise, catching the attention of everyone in the area.

Latias, recognising the pink shape, dropped her disguise, and subsequently her jaw.

" _Mew?"_

Ash, who was just getting up from the tackle, recognised the name and looked down at his chest to see the small Legendary currently curled up on his chest.

"Oh hey Mew, long time no see." Ash greeted with a friendly tone. He was glad to see the pink cat-like Legendary again, even if the last time he saw her wasn't that great (that near-death experience he had at the Tree of Beginning wasn't one of the highlights of his life).

But before he could find his feet, he was suddenly tackled again, this time from behind the back of his head, knocking him forward (but thankfully, not onto the Mew that was still clutching to his shirt).

By this point, everyone had gathered to see what was going on, and was surprised to see not one, but **two** Mews. Before anyone could do anything though, a third Mew suddenly teleported in, shocking everyone around them.

And now, all three Mews were excitingly floating around Ash, who for once since this ordeal with the Legendaries had begun, seemed shocked.

"Latias, since when were there three Mews?" He asked gingerly, not sure how to react with three Mews floating around him excitedly.

This caused Latias to look at Ash funnily, as if he had said something she couldn't believe.

" _What do you mean? I thought they all knew you."_

But Ash shook his head, looking straight at Latias.

"I've met Mew before, but only the one. She lives in the Tree of Beginning, and I met her in my second journey through Kanto. I don't know these other two."

This caused the third Mew, the one who teleported in, to stop as his eyes widened: almost as if it just remembered something. It then flew to Latias and began squeaking energetically, with Latias paying rapt attention.

A moment later, Latias was staring at the Mew in shock, before turning to Ash.

" _Well this Mew has explained it to me. All three of these Mews do know you, but you don't_ _ **necessarily**_ _know them. This Mew you met just before your attempt at the Indigo Plateau Conference, but he and Mewtwo wiped your memory, because what happened might have emotionally scarred you."_ Latias explained, with the Mew in question nodding along, while sitting on a bubble he conjured up.

Ash looked at Latias in shock, his eyes widening and his stomach dropping. He met Mew and Mewtwo that early on? And his memory was wiped? What happened that could have justified that?

The other two Mews had calmed down, one now curled up in Ash's arms with the other laying on Ash's head. They had noticed the sombre tone and decided to calm down for now.

With the background of one of the Mews explained, but with two still to go, Latias carried on.

" _You're right about that Mew in your arms, being the guardian of the Tree of Beginning who you met along with Lucario. And the Mew on your head is one you've never met before, but one that has been watching you in Pallet town for a while. Apparently, she's a fan."_ Latias said, kind of perplexed about the fact that there was a Legendary who watched him. That was kind of weird.

The Mew in questioned simply giggled, before using her tail to poke Ash's face. It seemed like she enjoyed hanging around Ash, as she was quite relaxed on his head.

But while Ash had no issues with this, a thought had crossed his mind.

"Wait a minute, why are they here? Don't get me wrong, I don't mind seeing them, but what with all the other Legendaries randomly coming, I can't help but think that there's something else going on." Ash questioned worrying, concerned for what was going to happen.

But this seemed to remind the Mews why they were here, and suddenly they were all up and about, buzzing with activity before teleporting away. And just like that, they were gone.

Everyone stood there in silence as they wondered what just happened, but before anyone could recover from this shock, they reappeared.

And this time, they had stuff with them

Carrying small bags of stuff, they dumped the bags at Ash's feet before disappearing again, and coming back with more bags. They did this a few more times, and after a few minutes, there were a few dozen bags at Ash's feet, and three very smug looking Mews.

Ash looked at the bags curiously, wondering what was inside them. But he didn't want to actually open them, as he was worried about what was inside them. But he was soon joined by Pikachu, who nodding at Ash, signalling that he should actually open them.

Deciding to take the risk, he picked up the first bag and opened it up slowly, reaching inside to pull whatever was inside out to observe. And what he got shocked him.

Inside this bag was several different types of evolution stone, with the one in his hand being a Dawn stone. Spurred on by this, Ash opened a second bag, only to discover that this one had loads of scarfs, sashes, and bands inside. And within the third bag, there were several Type enhancing items, such as a magnet, a metal coat, and other helpful items.

Bag after bag they went through, each one containing several useful items that any trainer could make good use of. And Ash was just standing there in shock.

"Wow, there's so much stuff here, thank you so much Mews." Ash thanked, grateful for all of the useful items. And the Mews seemed really happy with themselves. But they weren't done yet. Now that Ash had gone through all the items in the bags, they teleported again and came back this time with a bunch of discs, before disappearing again. Now feeling a bit more relaxed with these gifts, Ash picked up one of the discs, and saw that it was titled 'Focus Blast'.

"Wait a minute, are these TMs?" Ash spluttered, shocked at the fact that the Mews had gotten their hands on the expensive discs.

This caught the attention of Rotom Dex, who seemed almost annoyed by this development.

"Unbelievable! TMs are reserved for the best of the best, for the trainers who can make the best of the devices which teach Pokémon the best moves! Not for mediocre trainers like Ash!"

This caused everyone to sweat drop, as they were surprised by this outburst. After everything that had been said about Ash over the past two days, Rotom Dex still thought he was only mediocre? Really?

But before anyone could comment on this, the Mews had returned with more TMs, giving Ash even more rare and powerful moves. Soon, there was a collection of a few dozen TMs present, and all of them were very good moves.

" _This is incredible, I haven't even heard of some of these moves. What kind of move is Aurora Veil?"_ Latias questioned, as she shifted through the TMs.

But the Mews weren't done yet, far from it. With small grins on their faces, they disappeared again, only to come back with a small collection of orbs: all of which bearing a recognisable DNA symbol on it. Something which Ash recognised from his time in Kalos.

"Those are Mega Stones! Where did you get Mega Stones from?" Ash questioned, well aware of the rarity of these stones.

The Mews in response simply shrugged, and to Ash's surprise began flying off to his Pokémon. One Mew went to Sceptile, and gave him a stone. The second Mew went to Charizard, and gave him a stone which had an X on it. The third Mew went to Pidgeot, and gave her a stone which was attached to a strap. The first Mew then flew to Heracross, and gave the stocky bug type a stone as well. The second Mew flipped backwards and then gave Glalie a stone. Finally, the third Mew (the one from the Tree of Beginning) dropped down to the small dragon: Gible. But before she gave him the stone, she hesitated, realising that Gible wasn't far enough in his evolutionary chain to make use of the stone.

The Mew hovered there for a moment, before her eyes lit up as an idea sparked in them. Nodding in agreement with herself, the Mew closed her eyes and then touched Gible on his forehead, causing him to glow brightly. Moments later, instead of a small Gible, there was now a Gabite, who seemed shocked over the sudden evolution (as was everyone else, as they had no idea that Mews could do that).

But Mew wasn't done yet, as she shook her head and touched his forehead again, causing Gabite to glow **again.** Now, Gabite grew, growing to a height that made him taller than even Charizard. A few moments later, there was now a towering Garchomp.

Ash's eyes were incredibly wide at this point, as his small yet powerful Gible had just evolved **twice** in as many minutes, and was now a Garchomp. A Garchomp who was running towards him… oh my god.

Before Ash could even run, Garchomp had dashed towards him, and was now latched on to Ash as he excitedly chewed on his head. Which considering the new size difference, looked like a half-hearted attempt to eat him.

The other Mews, not happy with being upstaged, suddenly dashed off. The Mew that Ash had met on New Island (but couldn't remember) dashed to Ash's Boldore and Palpitoad, picking them to receive the evolution. Soon, they were both glowing, growing in size as Ash looked on in wonder.

Ash, not really sure what was going on, turned to Latias.

"Hey Latias, **what** are they doing and **how** are they doing it?"

Latias, who had been watching the older Legendaries and their madness, turned to Ash.

" _Well, the Mew who met you first said that they had gathered a bunch of rare items for you to use, saying that it'd make a good gift. This included the Mega Stones. But the Mew from the Tree of Beginning realised that Gible wasn't far enough along in his evolutionary chain to use the stone, so she sped it along. And now the other Mews are taking this as a competition."_

Ash just looked on in near horror as his new Seismitoad and Gigalith stood before him, looking confused as they took in their new forms.

The Pallet Town Mew had finally pick out two Pokémon, going for Bayleef and Snivy, causing both of them to glow before they could register that they had been chosen. Soon, two of Ash's grass types had evolved, leaving a startled Meganium and Servine in their place. But soon Meganium was leaping for joy, before running to Ash in celebration. But she forgot that she had grown considerably, and practically flattened him.

Satisfied with this collection of evolutions, the Mews gathered together one last time before disappearing again, and reappearing in front of the now flattened Ash with a bracelet and a last Mega Stone: The Z Ring to go with them.

To the surprise of everyone, they presented the stone to Latias, who floated backwards slightly in shock

" _Wait, I can Mega Evolve?"_ Latias exclaimed, surprised by the revelation. Ash however, was not.

"Yeah, I met a different Latias who could Mega Evolve as well. She was nice." Ash reflected, dusting himself off.

Now with their gifts handed out, the Mews happily floated in a circle. Satisfied with their work, they flew off, going to do… whatever it was Mews did. All except one.

The Mew who lived in Pallet Town didn't want to leave. She was having fun. So instead, she flew back down to Ash and nestled on top of his head.

Ash, who was exhausted by the shenanigans, just shook his head tiredly.

"So I guess this is a thing now." He muttered, much to the amusement of Pikachu, who was sitting on Ash's shoulder again now that he was no longer in any danger from his overly affectionate Pokémon.

This had been an interesting hour to say the least. And now they had lots to do today as they'll have to slog through the vast collection of items, TMs and Mega Stones. Looks like they had a lot of work ahead of them.

* * *

Lusamine was impatiently waiting for the report to get back to her.

They had detected an Ultra Beast Incursion earlier, or something similar at least, and now she was waiting for someone to get back to her to tell her what had happened.

Suddenly, Faba stormed into the room, datapad in hand.

"President Lusamine, I have the report you wanted."

"Well don't just stand there, tell me."

Swallowing deeply, Faba looked at the datapad.

"The spike we detected earlier was linked to an Ultra Beast, but it was an unsuccessful attempt at entering our universe. Not an Incursion I'm afraid."

Lusamine nodded slowly, taking this in.

"But they are trying to come here on their own. That's interesting."

She stood up and walked to the back of her office, looking out the window which had a clear view of the ocean.

"I want a team ready to go the second we get another spike like that. If they try to come through again, I want someone who can capture them nearby. That is all."

Nodding in submission, Faba left the room, clutching his datapad tightly, leaving Lusamine to her thoughts.

'Soon my pretties, I **will** have you.'

* * *

Hey everyone, I've got another chapter up for you. Normally I wouldn't have another chapter up so close together, but I'm procrastinating. So here you go.

But yes, Mew was the winner of last chapter's poll. And I decided to mix it up with a triple appearance. This idea was suggested to me by Jakeroo123, and I absolutely loved it. So I went with it. Three Mews for extra chaos.

Also, I'm well aware that this chapter is PACKED TO THE BRIM! This is the longest chapter I've ever written. I'm sorry if this is a bit jarring, but after the exposition filled chapter we had last time, I felt like going overboard. The next chapter will be more balanced out however, as Ash will be making use of this chapter's gift a bit. Also, I feel like it was appropriate considering there were 3 Mews to deal with. That's just chaos waiting to happen.

Now, I did a poll last week with three main options (plus the other option obviously), and it turned out really well, so I'm gonna do it again. The options this time are:

1\. Victini

2\. One (or all) of the Lake Trio

3\. Xerneas

4\. Other

As always, thank you for reading this story and leaving suggestions. I love reading them. Also, next time I may include something else. But what, I'm not sure yet. So I'm open to suggestions. Much love, TWoS.


	7. Chapter 7

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 7**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Professor Kukui was having the time of his life.

The last few days had been absolutely chaotic, with things that he could have never imagined happening right in front of him. And the worst part was, to the person who seemed to be at the epicentre of this craziness, was treating it like it was just another weekend.

Probably because to him, it was, based on what he had told them.

So Kukui was now helping him deal with the aftermath of what had just happened, as the trainer in question now had a huge collection of some of the rarest items in the world, and he needed help sorting all of them out. Kukui had personally volunteered to sort out the TMs, as he was eager to look at what moves that Ash now had to make use of.

And if he was honest, he was a little bit jealous.

Looking at the discs in front of him, he was impressed by the moves that were here. Mega Punch, Dragon Claw, Earthquake, X-scissor, Fire Blast, Ice Beam, Flash Cannon; this was just some of the moves that Ash now had to add to his arsenal. And these were impressive moves as well, with these being the kind of moves that the Elite 4 and Champions of other regions would prioritise to be a part of their move set due to how powerful they were.

And now they belonged to the same trainer whose starter just floored the region's guardian protector.

Kukui looked over to where Ash currently was, as he was dealing with the fallout from the Triple Mews (something else that Kukui was having trouble wrapping his head around: somehow Ash had gained the attention of a Pokémon whose existence was heavily disputed amongst the scientific community, and one of them was even some sort of fan). Because apparently, Mew's had the ability to make Pokémon evolve, so Ash now had to help a bunch of his Pokémon deal with their new bodies.

Kukui admired that about Ash, a lot of Pokémon trainers wouldn't go this far with helping their Pokémon, or at least not at the same level as Ash. When most trainer's Pokémon evolved, they kind of expected the Pokémon to adjust to it on their own. But not Ash, Ash made sure they were comfortable in their bodies. He was currently helping his Seismitoad get use to having arms, and was showing him how to use them.

It was then that Kukui spotted the Mew that was still sitting on his head, who was watching Ash and his interactions with his Pokémon very intently. Kukui watched as the Mew giggled to itself as Ash tried to show Seismitoad how to use his thumbs, and failing spectacularly.

Chuckling to himself, Kukui turned back to the TMs that were piled in front of him to finish sorting them out. And as he sorted the TMs into types, he couldn't help but wonder what moves that Mew knew and could use.

* * *

Pikachu was enjoying some lunch, while he watched Ash struggle with the newly evolved members of their family.

After the Mews had come and gone, bringing with them a storm of madness and chaos and then disappearing like they had never existed, everyone had taken a break for lunch. With the huge amount of Pokémon present (and with one of the Mews still here and acting like a pseudo-hat for Ash), it took a solid hour (even with the help of Ash's friends) for everyone to get their lunch. And now they were just enjoying some food.

Pikachu was just sitting with some of the other members of their extended family enjoying some food when Meganium came over. Pikachu watched as she sat down, and was surprised that he had to crane his neck to look her in the eye now, even when she was seated. That was gonna take some getting used to.

"Hey Meganium, how you doing?" Torterra questioned, as he spotted Meganium sitting down. He wanted to make sure that she was comfortable in her new form. He knew that evolution could be tough.

Meganium looked over to Torterra, before looking down at herself.

"I'm… I'm alright. It's weird that Mew was able to make me evolve like that, but this isn't too different to what I was when I was Bayleef. I wasn't ever quick, that's for sure." She thought out loud, as she continued to assess herself.

Torterra nodded, content with the fact that she was happy with her evolution, and went back to eating. However, Pikachu was curious about something.

"Does this mean that you'll let up on the whole 'Ash tackle-hug' or what?" Pikachu questioned, letting a cheeky smirk cover his face, which Meganium responded to by sticking her tongue out at him.

As she went to continue eating, she was interrupted by Heracross suddenly jumping on her back, trying to suck the sap out off the flower that had bloomed on her neck. Which she responded to by smacking him right off.

"What the hell was that Heracross?" This caught the attention of Bulbasaur, who was seated a few meters away from where Meganium was.

"Oh yeah, that's something you'll have to get used to. He does that a lot." Bulbasaur muttered, before glancing over to where Heracross was to make sure he wasn't about to try anything on him.

Pikachu just chuckled, leaning back and looking over his pseudo-family. Only in Ash's Pokémon family would they overlook the sudden appearance of multiple rare Legendaries to talk about their evolutions and things they find mildly annoying.

And looking over at the Pokémon who belonged to the Alolan crew, he guessed that they were the only Pokémon who could do that so casually. So he decided to see how they were dealing with all of this.

Approaching the Alolan Pokémon, he couldn't help but chuckle as they clearly flinched when he got closer. Apparently being blessed by a Pokémon God of Thunder and becoming a powerhouse (even more than he normally was) was enough to put the others on edge.

"Hey guys, how are you lot doing?" Pikachu questioned, eager to break the ice to help calm them down a little bit.

In response, he just got some very uneasy looks; clearly, he didn't do a very good job.

"How are we doing? HOW ARE WE DOING? Today has been one of the craziest days of our lives and all you can say, is how are we doing? We're doing just peachy!" Popplio shouted, clearly unnerved by what he saw.

Raising his paws in a defensive manner, Pikachu started slowly walking closer to them, determined to help them get through this adjustment period. It wasn't the first time he had seen Pokémon freak out over his life and its strangeness, so he knew how to approach this.

"Easy Popplio, I know this is weird, but you have to understand. This is Ash's life. This is what we do. This is our normal. I know that's hard for you to take in, but please don't freak out about it."

"And why shouldn't we? We've met around half a dozen Legendaries in a day, and we're only just eating lunch." Turtonator weighed in, not content to just let this slide. They were just getting used to the idea of Ash being a favoured person to their local guardian, something that was considered to be extraordinarily rare even by their Region's standards. And now the Legends of the world were coming because of him?

That's just bizarre.

Shaking his head, Pikachu (who had just gotten close enough to actually interact with them) just walked up and patted Turtonator on his leg.

"What you lot are forgetting is that this is basically a job for us. You heard Latias earlier, Ash is the Chosen One. That is a big thing: we all know that. We're born with this information for crying out loud!" Pikachu began, gaining some agreeing nods for his effort.

"We found out that Ash was the Chosen One during the first year of our adventure, which was about four years ago now. And we never really give it much thought, but its essentially our job to **save the world.** It's why, even before Zekrom, I was extremely powerful. Because I'm a Chosen Pokémon, and I need to be strong to help Ash. That's just how it is." Pikachu carried on, drawing in everyone's full attention as he explained to them how things were.

"We've saved the lives of dozens of Legendaries over the years, and that's overlooking all the times we've gone out of our way to simply help random people we meet. I mean, the main thing we were worried about a few days ago was finding a way to properly cure Lillie of her phobia of us." The mention of Lillie caused the young Alolan Vulpix to perk up, as her tails began swaying from side to side.

"And even now, as Legends are coming from across the globe to give Ash gifts that most people would kill to get, he is probably more concerned about the fact that some of us aren't used to their bodies." And to emphasise his point, Pikachu pointed over to where Ash was, and how he was trying to help Garchomp get adjusted to his new body, with varying degrees of success.

"So I know it's weird, but just do what I do: take it in stride. It's much easier that way. You also get to have a bit of fun with it."

This left the Alolan Pokémon quiet for a moment as they mulled over Pikachu's words. Was it really that easy? They were dealing with Gods afterall, and yet Pikachu and the other Pokémon in Ash's family weren't that bothered. Could they get used to it?

This thoughtful reflection was interrupted by the young Vulpix.

"I think they're nice. I like Miss Latias. She's nice to Momma, so I like her."

This caused the Alolan Pokémon crew to relax a bit. She was right afterall. Despite how weird this entire situation was, the Legendaries had been really nice. Latias had been friendly to them whenever they had interacted, even though she seemed adamant on staying near Ash. Zekrom, for his brief visit, had been somewhat brutish but had been very upfront with everything: he showed up, gave Pikachu the gift, showed him how to use it, and then left. Which wasn't that bad, all things considered. And the three Mews had been really playful, just wanting to have some fun. They have been a bit competitive, but most Pokémon were.

So overall, they hadn't had any real problems.

Before they could reflect on this further, a bright light suddenly appeared, forcing them to cover their eyes with whatever limbs they possessed. Pikachu however, could only chuckle. They hadn't even finished lunch.

"Heh, talk about persistent. Let's see who it is this time."

* * *

Ash was busy helping Garchomp get used to his new body, as he had grown several feet in just a few minutes, going from shorter than Ash's leg to close to twice as tall as him: something that made things very difficult for the normally clumsy dragon.

Garchomp had always been a little bit clumsy when he wasn't battling, as it seemed that when he wasn't focusing on an opponent, he struggled to do things without breaking something. For example, when he was at Oak's lab, he would commonly end up breaking the back door into the lab whenever he was called in for a check-up.

And now he was close to four times his previous size. That wasn't helpful.

He also had longer arms and legs, along with much more powerful muscles to carry himself with, something he would have to get used to as well. Especially since Garchomps were capable of flight. That was something that he had to learn how to do.

Garchomp then suddenly spotted Ash coming back with something, and began paying attention to him again.

"Ok Garchomp, here's what we're going to do. You seem to get better at things when we focus them on battles, so I've got this TM that we're going to teach you to help with your mobility."

Garchomp nodded to this, Ash had a point. He seemed to learn better when they were training for battle than anything else, so doing it like this might be more productive. But he wondered what TM it was.

Before he could find out though, they were interrupted by a bright flash of light. Using his fin to cover his eyes, Garchomp began getting ready for a fight. While the chances were that it was simply another Legendary, he didn't want to take the risk.

When the light finally died down, Garchomp looked from over his fin to see a giant horse like Pokémon with giant multi-coloured horns. And while he couldn't honestly say that he was familiar with who this Legendary was, he was getting a strong fairy vibe from it, so he didn't really want to fight it.

Hopefully, it was just another Legendary looking to gift Ash, otherwise he was in trouble.

'Not again…' Ash couldn't help but groan to himself mentally. As much as he really liked the gifts he was receiving and was incredibly grateful for them, he just wanted a moment to relax and recuperate. Afterall, he did have a Mew currently nestling in his hat right now while he dealt with the aftermath of the last gift.

Taking a deep sigh to prepare himself, Ash turned to the source of the light to see who had arrived, and was genuinely surprised to see who it was. It was Xerneas, the Legendary of Life and guardian of Allearth Forest.

Who should be a tree right now, if memory served Ash right. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time he remembered wrong. According to one of the Mews, an entire section of his memory had been wiped out, so he wouldn't rule it out.

As Xerneas landed in front of Ash, he faintly heard the sound of someone passing out, probably one of his school friends as they were shocked by the sudden arrival of the embodiment of life.

And yet he wasn't that surprised: strange how life works.

Deciding he should be polite, he patted Garchomp's leg so that he stopped charging up whatever attack he had planned (since Garchomp looked ready to attack) and went to greet Xerneas.

"Hey Xerneas, how you doing?"

Smiling at the casualness of the young man in front of her, Xerneas nodded in response, glad to see the protector of life was well.

" _I am well, protector of life. I hope I have not come at a bad time?"_ She inquired, as she could see the weary, tired look in his eyes. And also a Mew on his head.

That probably explained the weary, tired look in his eyes.

Ash just shook his head, muttering something about 'a long day'. And then he spent a few seconds just staring at the top of his head, almost with an accusing look (even though it was probably not a serious look).

It was then that Xerneas noticed the presence of another Legendary, and looked to her right to spot a familiar red dragon. Xerneas was rather fond of Latias, the young Legendary who knew the value of life. Despite losing her brother about three years ago, she refused to let it get her down, and continued to enjoy her life: something that she respected greatly.

It would seem that she fulfilled her promise to let the young Chosen One catch her and let her join his adventurous little family.

'Good, I'm glad she gets to enjoy herself.' Xerneas thought to herself.

" _I'm glad you are free, I know you are very tired. I bumped into Zekrom on my way here, and figured that you had had a long day. For that reason, I've requested that I am the last Legendary to pass on a gift to you today. I figured you could use the break."_

This caused Ash's face to light up as gratitude seeped into him. Again, as much as he appreciated these gifts, they were exhausting. He had dealt with three separate gifts today alone and he was exhausted. He needed a rest, and he could already tell that he was going to sleep well tonight.

Noticing the gratitude on Ash's face, Xerneas carried on.

" _As for my gift, I figured I'd give you something that not only shows my appreciation, but the trust that I have for your skills as a trainer."_

Xerneas then began charging up her power, causing her horns to glow with a rainbow tint, before six small objects suddenly appeared. As soon as they appeared, they floated down to Ash, nestling around him.

" _The greatest gift I could give is life, and the purest form of life is new life. So, I entrust these eggs, which would normally I would take into my custody so that they can be raised, to you. I know that you will bring out their potential, as well as give them a fun, full, happy life. I leave the rest for you."_

Ash just looked at Xerneas in shock. This was a big deal. Pokémon eggs were extremely rare, and Ash knew this. Despite being a trainer for over five years, he had only ever hatched three: Donphan, Scraggy, and Noivern. He had seen other being hatched as well, but they belonged to other people. So Ash knew how much trust was involved when these eggs were given out.

Now that she had done what she had came to, Xerneas bid her goodbye, and then disappeared in another flash of light. Leaving Ash to deal with a half dozen unhatched eggs.

However, before he could so much as guess as to what kind of eggs they were, a large portal suddenly ripped into being behind Ash, catching everyone's attention.

"What the hell!?"

* * *

"What the hell!?"

This ripped Garchomp out of the daydream that he had been having: he had been thinking about how much better he could chew on rocks now that he was so big and how much fun he could have. But now Ash was freaking out, and Garchomp was instantly primed for combat.

Turning behind him, he spotted what seemed to be some kind of rip in the air, and energy was pouring out of it. Someone was trying to teleport to them.

Garchomp was instantly on guard, ready for whatever came out of that hole. While he may have been clumsy normally, in battle he was much more precise. And now he got to test his new body.

Suddenly, a large boulder came flying out, barrelling towards Ash. Thinking quick, Garchomp charged up a Dragon Pulse, and fired it at the boulder: destroying it before it could hit his trainer.

Nothing happened for a moment after that, but Garchomp knew that this wasn't a sign of him being in the clear. Whoever launched that attack was still on the other side of that portal-thing, and they meant business.

Suddenly, a red blur dashed out of the portal, and smashed into Garchomp, sending the large Dragon flying back. As he crashed into the ground, he briefly heard Ash cry out his name in shock.

'Ow. That hurt.' Garchomp thought, as he got back on his feet. Whoever that was, certainly packed a punch.

'I wonder what kind of Pokémon that was?' Garchomp thought, before getting a look at his attacker. And the subsequent dropping of his jaw.

What stood in front of him was a Pokémon unlike anything he had ever seen. It had three legs, two arms that was absolutely covered in bulging, red muscles, and had the head of a bug; not unlike that a Beautifly, only more aggressive looking. This wasn't a Pokémon, it was a beast.

And clearly, it had no qualms about fighting fairly, as it launched itself forward at Ash, intent on hurting, and possibly even killing him.

Not letting the shock of this beast's appearance stop him for long, Garchomp leaped forward and crashed into it with a Rock Smash. However, this move wasn't that effective, as the beast simply shrugged it off and hit Garchomp back with a Mega Punch, causing him to dig a trench in the earth with his body as he flew back.

'I'm so glad I'm tougher now, more than anything really.' Garchomp thought to himself as he shook his head to clear the dizziness. If he hadn't of evolved twice into his final evolution, he doubted he could have survived that attack. But then again, he was barely standing as it was now.

Looking at the beast again, he weighed his options. Chances were that this was some kind of really powerful Pokémon, so he needed to be careful. At the same time, he couldn't afford to be kept on the back foot. All he had done so far is react, and each time he had been beaten into the ground. Which wasn't good.

However, Garchomp's spirits were reaffirmed when he heard a familiar force in the background, one that had a confident and competitive tone to it.

"Alright then Garchomp, if this Pokémon wants a battle, then a battle it will get. Use Draco Meteor!" Ash was up and ready for a battle: now it was on.

Smirking, Garchomp charged up the powerful attack, before launching it into the sky. The beast seemed unfamiliar with this move, and went to move in for its next attack, before the Draco Meteor broke up and slammed into it, bringing it down.

However, it didn't work for long, as the giant beast suddenly launched up and dashed into Garchomp.

"Quick, dodge it!" Ash yelled, trying to help Garchomp against the insanely powerful foe.

But Garchomp wasn't used to his new body, so he wasn't able to properly make used of his new speed, and was still hit by the beast, sending him flying back.

'I'm in trouble, I'm in real trouble.' Garchomp thought. He now had black of the edge of his vision, and was having trouble focusing. If he didn't sort himself out, he was going to get KO'd. And quickly.

Suddenly, he heard Ash yelling something, before he heard something plop next to him as Ash chucked something to him. Looking down, he saw that it was the TM from earlier.

"Garchomp! Use the TM! It'll help you get the edge on him!"

'Right, of course. Mobility training. Now's a good a time as any.' Garchomp thought to himself, touching the TM and letting the information flow through into him.

 **Aerial Ace – Flying Type move – Physical attack – Guaranteed hit**

'Oh, it's on.'

"Now Garchomp, use Aerial Ace to give yourself a boost in speed!"

Seeing that the beast was making another attack run, Garchomp charged up an Aerial Ace and aimed it at a nearby tree. Just before the beast could attack again, Garchomp launched the attack, and practically flew out of the way. Just before the attack landed, Garchomp cancelled it and turned mid-air, stopping just before the tree with Aerial Ace still charged.

Seeing an opportunity to attack, Garchomp leapt forward again, and this time slashed the beast in the side, sending it flying back with a roar of pain.

'How do you like them apples?'

"Quick, use Dragon Pulse again before it could recover!" Garchomp heard Ash order, to which he responded with a nod.

Charging up the range attack, he fired it at close to point blank range, inflicting heavy damage upon the aggressive bug like beast. But it seemed to power through the attack, driven by rage to defeat him.

And it seemed to be adapting, as this time it hadn't just hit Garchomp with a fighting type move, but an Ice Punch. Which was enough to send Garchomp sprawling.

Crashing into the ground, Garchomp wondered what the hell it took to beat one of these things.

And Ash would have been wondering the same thing, had he not been concerned for Garchomp.

Garchomp: the Pokémon he had caught as a Gible in Sinnoh, who had a dream of mastering a move that should have been impossible for him. Admiring his determination, Ash swore to help him master the move, as so he did. When Gible had decided to join Ash, he had been incredibly happy, as the little dragon was very much like him. He couldn't bare to watch him get beaten around like this, even if he wasn't the same small dragon he once was.

And that was when he noticed that the Mega Ring that the Mews had given him was glowing, resonating with power. And it was synching with the stone on Garchomp's neck. Seconds later, a ball of energy suddenly surrounded Garchomp and began changing him, giving him yet another power up.

Mega Garchomp had entered the battle.

Garchomp suddenly felt a surge of power flow through him, making him ignore all the damage he had taken previously as he felt like a new Pokémon. He was ready for Round 2.

Hell, he even felt lighter on his feet.

And as the beast went to deliver another strike into the downed dragon, he decided to make the most of this new power, and slashed upwards, catching the beast in the face: leaving a deep cut.

Now back on his feet, Mega Garchomp jumped back, getting space between him and his aggressor. He may have been powered up, but he wasn't foolish.

The beast however, was not sharing the sentiment, as it charged forward in reckless abandon.

Going on his own initiative, Mega Garchomp used the same trick again, using Aerial Ace for a boost of speed: but in a different direction.

This time, he went up.

Launching himself into the air as the beast planted its fist into the ground where he stood seconds ago, Mega Garchomp thought that now was a good time to use a move he had learned upon evolving.

Earthquake.

Coming down with enough force to shake the very earth itself, he crushed the beast underneath his own weight, and hit it with enough force to bury it deep into the ground, accompanied by a powerful shock wave.

A few seconds later, the dust cleared, and the beast seemed down for the count. Still somewhat conscious, but no longer capable of fighting back.

Not trusting this, Mega Garchomp charged up another Aerial Ace, planning on knocking him out for good.

"Wait!"

The sound of his trainer snapped him from his attack.

'Wait? Why wait?'

"Garchomp, you won. There's no need to attack a downed Pokémon." Ash said, trying to reign in the dragon.

Mega Garchomp slowly came to the realisation that he had almost attacked a defenceless Pokémon, something that he normally would never do. Realising that he had been caught up in the battle, he nodded slowly and backed off from the beast, much to the beast's surprise.

But before either of them could react, another boulder smashed into Garchomp, sending him flying. It would seem that in all the chaos, they had forgotten that there was still a massive portal just a few meters away.

And now there were more of the bug like beasts coming out of it.

But before they could get too far, a powerful Thunderbolt smacked one square in the chest, sending it flying back into the portal with ease. It was followed shortly by a Flamethrower, hitting another one and causing it to slowly get pushed back to the portal. Soon, dozens of attacks were being launched at the attackers, keeping them on the back foot.

The original beast had gotten up by now, and was staring at both Mega Garchomp and Ash, almost as if it was confused. After a few seconds of reflection, the beast turned and flew back to the portal, causing its brethren to join it in its hasty retreat.

Now, all they were left with was the sudden silence from the mass attack, as everyone tried to figure out **what** exactly they had been attacked by.

* * *

"Sir! Sir! It's an emergency!" A police officer yelled, running with a hastily made report in his hand.

His boss, the man in a long, grey trench coat he was currently running to, was in the middle of drinking a coffee when he heard the young man shouting.

"What? What's the matter?" He asked hastily, not liking the fact that he wasn't being immediately told what the matter was.

"We just had a confirmed Ultra Beast Incursion on Melemele Island. Reports say that it was an attack by at least one UB-02: Absorption, possibly more. What should we do?"

Eyes widening at the mention of one of the dangerous Ultra Beasts, the man in the trench coat stood up in shock.

"I want a plane to Alola booked now! And I want a team of our strongest officers on standby, just in case. We need to contain this now!"

Nodding his understanding the police officer ran off, determined to fulfil his orders.

The man in the trench coat quickly turned to the safe that was in the room, and quickly punched in the combination. Inside, was a couple of Ultra Balls, a Black Flute, and a lone police badge with one word printed onto it: Looker.

* * *

Hey everyone, how we all doing today? I'm procrastinating really badly at the moment, so instead of doing my uni work, I did this. Honestly, time well spent.

I decided to mix it up a bit in this chapter, including the first of (hopefully) many great battles. Because afterall, what's the point of Ash getting all these gifts if he's not going to use them?

I had a lot of fun writing this, as I much prefer writing combat to dialogue, so I hope you like what I've produced. I know it might not be the Pokémon you were expecting, but I thought I'd try and be a bit unpredictable.

For the next chapter, I'm gonna request a different kind of suggestion. Since there won't be any legendaries showing up next chapter (at least to give Ash a gift), I figured I'd ask you something to do with the eggs. There are currently 6 eggs, and I want to know what Pokémon you'd want to see hatch from them. I've got about three or four already chosen in my head, but I'd like to see what you've got to say.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I look forward to reading your reviews, so peace out – TWoS.


	8. Chapter 8

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 8**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Looker was driving to the airport as quickly as possible. He had to get to Alola as quickly as possible, before the situation escalated. Ultra Beasts were not creatures you put on the back burner.

Looker had been a member of the International Police's UB Task Force for close to a decade now, having joined it when he first became a member of the International Police. When he first joined the Task Force, it was to simply to get himself some good favour from the higher ups; since him joining additional Task Forces on top of what he was assigned to do made him look good. He chose this department since it had never actually seen much action since it's creation, with most of it being paperwork and the occasional visit to research facilities that had looked into the Ultra Beasts and where they came from: such as the Dimensional Research Lab and the Aether Foundation in Alola, both facilities which had a heavy focus on something related to the Ultra Beasts (directly or indirectly).

However, that had changed roughly two years ago, a few months after successfully stopping and arresting Team Galactic, and saving the Sinnoh Region. He had just been doing paperwork when he got a call saying that an Ultra Wormhole had opened, the very thing that the Ultra Beasts where said to come through. Having rushed to the location, he was shocked to find an Ultra Beast (later classified as UB-01: Symbiont) and the unconscious form of a young woman. After a difficult battle, they managed to drive the creature back and rescued the girl, recruiting her to the UB Task Force in the process.

Having arrived at the airport, Looker drove up to the specialised plane they had for missions related to Ultra Beast issues. The attack on the woman had caused the Task Force to get a much larger budget, something that Looker definitely didn't abuse (he would swear to the day he died that the coffee maker in his office he had brought with his own money).

Speaking of the woman who was attacked, there she was.

Standing on the ramp leading into the plane, was a young woman with long, flowing blue hair, wearing a black, two-piece suit. She was currently inspecting one of her Pokéballs, while absentmindedly stroking her Espeon. Hearing his car drive up to the plane, she proceeded to put her Pokéball away and walked up to Looker's car.

Sighing heavily, Looker prepared himself for yet another gruelling mission with her. She was such a hard case, even by his standards.

"Looker, you're late. We're running out of time here, and we need to get going and ensure those Beasts didn't do too much damage." She said somewhat coldly, clearly annoyed by the Police Officer's lateness.

"Sorry ma'am, I was in the office doing paperwork when I got the call. Came here as quickly as I could." Looker responded, trying to keep a professional tone even though he personally despised the woman in front of him. Her being here had escalated the workload of the UB Task Force tenfold, and had put extra pressure on Looker from the International Police to find ways to be prepared for these beasts.

Even though Looker had a dozen other things he'd rather deal with.

Cocking an eyebrow at him, the woman's tone became condescending. "You mean once you finished your coffee break? I'm surprised you didn't stop for lunch as well."

Looker was about to retort when she suddenly turned and made her way back to the plane, cutting off Looker before he could even respond. Much to Looker's agitation.

"Listen here, I'm the officer here, I'm the superior in this mission. The fact that you've brought the attention of the League means nothing. You will do nothing without my approval, _do I make myself clear?_ " Looker ground out, not in the mood to deal with this.

"Yes, yes, I'll respect your authority, if only to protect your fragile ego. Oh, and by the way, we have three other officers on the plane, all with full teams and are ready to deal with any potential threats." The woman replied offhandedly, clearly not threatened by Looker.

"Good, now come on Anabel. We have to do." Looker stated, his composure back.

And so, he and the Frontier Brain boarded the plane, ready to confront any potential Ultra Beast threats, but unprepared to deal with a familiar face in the form of Ash Ketchum.

* * *

Charizard was, unsurprisingly and understandably, on edge.

His trainer, after being visited by the God of Life (which for them wasn't **too** surprising, but still), had just been attacked by some massive bug like creature, which he wasn't even sure was a Pokémon in all honesty. It certainly didn't act like any Pokémon he had met, and he had met a lot of strange Pokémon in his time.

If it weren't for Garchomp being there and holding the creature back, Ash could have very well been killed.

And on top of that, **more** had shown up, all clearly very dangerous and gunning for Ash. Which was typical, honestly.

Now, he, along with about a dozen of Ash's strongest Pokémon, were now forming a protective circle around him while he and the blonde girl in the white dress (Pikachu had said her name was Lillie or something, but Charizard couldn't remember) while they healed up Garchomp's wounds.

Charizard couldn't help but smile as he replayed the fight in his mind. The young dragon had done well, holding off a Pokémon (Charizard was just going to assume they were Pokémon until he was told otherwise) which was clearly on the level of Legendaries and actually besting it, even if he had to use the power of Mega Evolution to do so.

'Not bad, not bad at all.' Charizard thought proudly to himself.

"Hey Charizard, you alright?"

The sound of Ash's oldest companion, and the new strongest Pokémon in his team (as much as Charizard hated to admit it), broke Charizard's train of thought and brought his attention to the small mouse.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just don't like this. Those things came out of nowhere, and we were blindsided. Had Garchomp not been nearby, we might not have been able to help." Charizard stated slowly, not liking to admit that he couldn't do anything to change the fact.

Pikachu said nothing at first, simply nodding in response, clearly feeling the same annoyance at the fact that they couldn't predict the attack, and likely wouldn't be able to again in the future.

Ash was in massive danger, and there was nothing they could do, despite all of their strength, to protect him.

"We may not be able to predict when they attack, but we do know one thing. We **can** beat them." Sceptile threw in, almost causing Charizard to jump as he wasn't expecting the grass type to contribute.

But he did make a valid point, Garchomp had beaten one them, and he wasn't even one of the more experienced battlers in Ash's family. Someone like him, Sceptile, Pikachu, or any of Ash's more experienced battlers could have easily bested one of these things, and with all of their family here and ready to fight, it would take an army to get through them.

And Charizard almost **wanted** them to try and get past him. He'd burn them all to a crisp if they went after Ash again.

"I'll give you that, we know they're beatable in one on one. Imagine if they tried now." Meganium calmly said, confirming it more for her benefit than the others. If they could protect Ash at least, it was a job well done.

"Hey guys, can you come here for a minute? I need some help."

The sound of their trainer ended their conversation, their attention now fully on him. Charizard, for all his strength and power, knew that Ash was better at strategy than he was (at least in battling, he wasn't exactly the smartest cookie outside of the battlefield). So, they were going to listen to what he had to say, and they were going to ensure that this boy was protected.

That was what families did, they looked out for each other.

* * *

"Ok, so that should do it, Garchomp, you're as good as new." Ash proudly proclaimed, as he finished bandaging Garchomp's chest where he had been repeatedly struck by the strange Pokémon that had attacked them.

Passing back the remaining equipment to Lillie, who had been helping Ash by telling him what to do and what equipment to use, Ash began reflecting on what had just happened. He had just been given a bunch of eggs by Xerneas, which was a huge sign of trust, and not even five minutes later, he had to watch as some beast of a Pokémon attempt to crush Garchomp, with Garchomp suffering a brutal beating.

And now, everyone was simply trying to absorb the fact that Ash had been attacked by Pokémon that none of them recognised, not even Rotom Dex or the Professor was aware of what they were.

But Ash was busy thinking of something else, something he considered to be more important right now.

The eggs.

Ash had six eggs to watch over, and he knew that he couldn't do this by himself. His first thought was to ask for help from his classmates, but they would only be able to help him a little bit. They'd be able to help him during the day with stuff like making sure that they were well looked after, but they couldn't dedicate their full time to helping Ash raise them, which was the most difficult part.

Having raised some eggs himself in the past, he knew that when they hatched, they needed someone there constantly to act like a surrogate parent. While they would most likely imprint onto him no matter what, due to the fact that he was going to be their trainer, that didn't mean the baby Pokémon could only imprint onto one person.

Or one Pokémon, for that matter.

Which is when Ash had a brainwave, one which would greatly help him with the egg issue.

"Hey guys, can you come here for a moment. I need some help." Ash called out, gaining the attention of all of his Pokémon, as well as some of his human companions as well.

This drew the attention of all of his Pokémon, who seemed to be on edge after the recent attack. Which made Ash even more certain about his little plan.

'What better way to calm everyone down than with a team building exercise?' Ash thought to himself, feeling more and more confident with his plan.

"Alright everyone, I need your help." Ash shouted out, leaving his Pokémon to prime themselves.

'It seems like they're expecting a fight. They need to unwind.' Ash noted, as he saw his Pokémon take battle stances around him.

"I know that was all a bit hectic, but we can deal with that later, for now we need to sort out this other problem." And to illustrate his point, Ash raised one of the eggs.

This gained the attention of all of his Pokémon, including Latias and Mew, who had been conversing quietly to themselves out of ear's reach, obviously concerned about the fact that they didn't recognise the strange aggressors either.

"We have six eggs to raise, and I can't raise them by myself. I need some of you to help me by volunteering to take an egg and to help raise it. That way, this can be much easier for all of us." Ash announced, eagerly sharing his plan with his Pokémon.

He had the greatest amount of trust in his Pokémon family, and he knew that they could help him raise these Pokémon right. They had been trusted to him, and Ash wanted to do the best he could, which meant getting all of his Pokémon involved and helping him. That's how he solved most of his problems, with his family, so that was how he was going to solve this one.

Ash could see that this had caught the attention of quite a few of his Pokémon, but he knew that he had to clarify something first.

"While I do want all of you to help and be involved with these younger Pokémon, I only need a few of you to look after the eggs. Once they hatch, I want everyone to be involved, but for now, I need four volunteers. I'll take two eggs, and each volunteer can take an egg. Everyone else can help them as much as they can. So, do I have any volunteers?" Ash stated, clarifying his plan to everyone present.

This made some of his Pokémon more hesitant, as they realised that Ash would be putting a huge amount of trust in whoever volunteered, and they didn't know if they were capable of dealing with such responsibility.

Deciding to be the first to take the leap, Pikachu stepped forward and raised his paw. In his mind, he had figured that he was one of the most experienced with dealing with younger Pokémon, having been present for every team that Ash had in each region and helping Ash raise all those young Pokémon into powerful combatants. He could easily handle an egg.

Smiling, Ash nodded as he saw Pikachu step forward. He knew that his best friend and oldest partner would be one of the best suited for this.

"Alright, nice one Pikachu. Here, you can look after this egg." Ash said, handing over one of the eggs to Pikachu. The egg in question was mostly white, with a slight black spot near the top. Handing it over to Pikachu, who then struggled to hold it up due to the fact that the egg was the same size as him, Ash looked over at his other Pokémon.

"So, who else wants to give this a try?"

Next to take up the responsibility, was Meganium. She stepped forward and nodded, eager to try and prove herself. Meganium thought of herself as quite caring, and even though she could be a bit brash at times, she was eager to try and be motherly to a young hatchling.

Pleased to see that there were other Pokémon who was interested in helping raise the eggs, he happily passed over another egg to Meganium. This egg was, again, mostly white, but had a green colouring near the top with a red line going through it. Meganium, using some vines that she conjured up, took the egg and began cradling it as she took a step back.

"Right then, that's two. Anyone else interested?"

To the surprise of everyone (except the Alolan crew because they didn't know him that well yet), Charizard stepped forward and looked Ash in the eye, and Ash immediately understood. It was a challenge. Charizard wanted to prove that he was strong, not just in body, but in mind and spirit. And the only way to affirm this strength was to pass it on to a young hatchling. In the past, Ash would have thought that this was Charizard being selfish and only caring about being the strongest. But now? Now it was Charizard showing he was strong in more ways than one.

Something that Ash was more than happy to allow.

Smirking slightly, Ash presented Charizard with another one of the eggs, this one being a light cream colour. Charizard accepted the egg with his head held high, and held the egg close to his chest.

While Charizard began glaring at anyone who looked at him funnily after he took the egg, Ash looked over at his remaining Pokémon, all of whom looked anxious. He could tell even from a glance that many of his family were tempted to take responsibility for the last egg, but they didn't know if they were capable of dealing with the pressure of raising the egg.

After a few minutes of the other Pokémon debating whether they wanted to try or not, Bulbasaur finally stepped forward. This caused Ash to smile, confident in Bulbasaur. He knew that Bulbasaur was practically the one in charge of his crazy family when he was travelling across the world, and was the one that stopped them from causing **too** much trouble. Out of all his Pokémon, Bulbasaur was the one who Ash trusted the most with an egg (and he was actually surprised it took him this long to volunteer).

Feeling confident, he handed over the last egg that he planned on having his Pokémon help him raise. This one was mostly bronze, like rusted copper, with a blue stripe rolling down across the egg.

That left Ash with two eggs left, one being a very light shade of yellow, with a small section the egg being a dark colour. The other egg that Ash still had was a brilliant shade of white, with the bottom of the egg being a very light blue. The fact that there were only two eggs for him to focus on for now was something that was very reassuring for Ash, since it seemed much more manageable for him now.

With that sorted out, Ash decided that now was as good a time as any to go back to finish sorting all the items that the Mews had given him. After all, he had barely finished helping his Pokémon adjust to their new evolutions before they had been attacked.

Now, don't make the mistake that Ash was simply brushing off the attack on him, he had just put it on the backburner. With all the stuff that had happened to him today alone, being attacked was just something that wouldn't faze him, especially since that happened on a bi-weekly basis for him.

One thing was for sure, he was going to sleep well tonight.

* * *

 **38 Million Light Years away**

A horde was amassing, preparing for conquest.

They had been wronged, and they will right it. Even if it meant destroying them.

Their first attack had failed, but they will have more opportunities. And they will destroy.

The Buzzwoles had returned, battered and scarred, from their mission to take their great defender out. The leader of the attack force was particularly scarred, with a deep gash running across their face. Yet another grievance that will be sorted in the future.

It would seem that their defender was more powerful than they could have predicted, but no matter. They now knew not to underestimate him, and to prepare a proper attack force to take them out.

Because they had been wronged, and the ones who were guilty will suffer. Their world was threatened, and they would destroy the aggressors with deadly force.

For they will protect themselves, from the ones who would pillage and burn their lands.

And they will show no mercy.

* * *

Hey everyone, I'm back with another chapter for your enjoyment.

I just want to apologise for this chapter for multiple reasons. Firstly, the fact that it took me ages to actually get out. What with the holidays that just past, I had been spending ZERO time on updating this story. Secondly, the fact that this chapter may be a little lacklustre compared to my other chapters. What with the craziness that happened in the last chapter, I needed to take a moment to step back and pull the story together. I've introduced a character who's going to have a big influence on the story in the future, and put them on a course towards Alola. I allowed the powerhouses of Ash's powerful family to share their insecurities about the implications of what just happened with one another. And I also added a brief scene which might give a hint as to where I'm going with this story.

But the main point of this chapter is to establish what is going on with the eggs. With six eggs, Ash has decided to share the workload, allowing his Pokémon to act like parents to these eggs as well. As of this chapter, Ash is looking after two eggs, and Pikachu, Charizard, Meganium, and Bulbasaur are all looking after an egg each. And yes, all of the eggs have been decided already, thanks to everyone who suggested Pokémon for the eggs. Feel free to try and guess what Pokémon are in the eggs, I've tried to leave clues in the egg's designs to hint what they are. Bonus points if you get them right.

Now, the day is over, and soon it will be Sunday. And a new day, means more Legendaries. Plus, next chapter will mark the arrival of another character. So, what I want to know is, what Legendary would you like to show up? And what character from Ash's past do you want to appear? An old companion, or a rival? Or someone else? PM me or leave a review to let me know. See you later, in a bit – TWoS.


	9. Chapter 9

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 9**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Pikachu adjusted his egg for the twentieth time that night, trying to find the optimal position to place the egg for the night.

Ash was currently putting everyone to bed, and with the large amount of Pokémon in their family, it took a while for Ash to check in on everyone. As of right now, he was currently on the roof checking on the flying types that was currently nestling there. He had already checked on the water types that were in the indoor tank downstairs, and the Pokémon who preferred to sleep outside, and that just left the Pokémon who were sleeping in Ash's upstairs room.

Which included most of Ash's Pokémon.

Meganium and a bunch of the more maternal Pokémon like Leavanny, Servine, and Butterfree's mate were currently inspecting her egg, making sure it was fine as they tucked it away in it's incubator. They had already done the same to Bulbasaur's egg and had **tried** to do it to Charizard's, but were shooed away by the temperamental fire type; much to Pikachu's amusement.

Which drew Pikachu back to his egg. Pikachu had met loads of Pokémon over his years of travelling with Ash, from the common, to the rare, to the mythical, and yet he couldn't figure out what Pokémon was in his egg. All he had to go off was the basic colouring, which was black and white. But then again, there were quite a few Pokémon which could have fallen under this category.

So basically, Pikachu had no idea what it was.

Pikachu was drawn from his pondering by the sound of Ash coming back into the makeshift lab that they were living in. He watched as Ash came in from the rooftop entrance, and proceed to go to all of his other Pokémon to see if they were all alright. And he just got a chorus of tired noises from everyone.

Pikachu couldn't blame them for that, they were all tired from the long day they had had. From multiple Legendary appearances, some bizarre gifts, and an attack by Pokémon that they weren't even sure were Pokémon, today had certainly been one to remember.

Speaking of Legendaries, Pikachu looked over and watched as Latias, the newest member of their team, was hovering slightly behind Ash and was following him as he made his rounds. Her affection for him for so blatantly obvious, it was funny.

While Pikachu chuckled to himself, he failed to notice Lycanroc approach him from behind.

"So this kind of stuff really is normal for you lot then?"

Despite nearly jumping out of skin, Pikachu recovered well and turned to address Lycanroc.

"Heh, yeah I guess it is. What about you? You dealing with this alright?"

While Lycanroc began curling up beside Pikachu, he thought about it for a moment before shrugging in indifference.

"I guess. It's still a bit of a shock, but nothing that I can't get used to. And I feel like I will have to get used to this, if the fact that Xerneas said she had to stop more Legendaries from appearing today." He muttered plainly, trying to sound unbothered by the strange events.

That reminder caused Pikachu to groan to himself, not liking where this was going. Lycanroc was perfectly right, they may have dealt with a whole bunch of Legendaries today, but they still had at least another dozen or two to go before they could continue their relaxing holiday (a distant dream at the moment).

But nevertheless, they would endure, they always did.

As Ash was checking the bigger Pokémon that were already deeply asleep, Pikachu's egg suddenly began glowing. It was hatching!

Now with the attention of everyone currently still awake on the egg, Pikachu watched with awe as the egg glowed a bright white, slowly morphing into a more recognisable shape. It started growing larger at first, easily the same size as Lycanroc, if not slightly larger. It then grew two pairs of legs, very similar to the ones that Lycanroc possessed. And as the head began to form, a horn and tail began forming on either end. And with that, the glow began dying down, to reveal the Pokémon that had just been born.

It was an Absol, and a rather large one at that.

* * *

Ash was in shock, he had only ever seen an Absol a couple of times in the past. And here was one that was going to join the family. The Absol in question finally began to wake up, blinking heavily a few times before finally opening them and looking directly at Ash.

Right before having a minor panic attack.

Yelping in fear, the Absol darted behind Pikachu, considering him to be the safest Pokémon to hide behind, and began quivering in fear in the presence of Ash. Much to his and Pikachu's confusion.

"Erm… why is Absol so afraid of me?" Ash questioned, not quite sure how to react to this massive display of fear.

"That might be because of their ability to sense disasters." Kukui weighed in, as he appeared from the kitchen with a smoothie in his hand.

But this answer just left Ash as confused as he was a second ago.

"What does that have to do with me?" Ash inquired, trying to figure out why a disaster sensing Pokémon would be afraid of him.

However, that seemed to cause nearly every awake Pokémon to burst out laughing, with the loud cackling even waking up some of the other Pokémon. Even Latias was laughing, though she was doing her best to try and hide it. Much to Ash's chagrin.

"Why is everyone laughing at me?" He exclaimed, flailing his arms wildly as he tried to gain the attention of someone who could answer him, with Kukui eventually getting over his chuckling to answer Ash.

"Ash, in the past two days, you've had about a dozen different Legendaries rewarding you for all the times you've saved them. God like beings are thanking you for saving their lives. You are the definition of a 'walking disaster'. Absol probably took one look at you and had a panic attack. Which probably explains why its hiding behind Pikachu, it's seeking protection from the strongest Pokémon in the room." Kukui explained, the slight smirk never leaving his face.

This caused Ash to stop for a moment as he took that in. That did explain why all his Pokémon were laughing at him, they probably realised what Kukui was suggesting before he did. Even Pikachu couldn't help but shrug when Ash looked over at him. Although, the mass laughter did seem to help the Absol calm down, as it was now peaking over Pikachu's shoulder.

Taking this opportunity to try and acquaint himself with his new Pokémon, Ash knelt down slowly to the Absol with one of his hands slightly outstretched.

"Hi there, I'm Ash. Nice to meet you." Ash whispered, trying his hardest not to spook the young Pokémon again.

It seemed that it was working, as the Absol was now looking over Ash a bit more curiously, as if it was assessing whether or not he was inherently dangerous. After a moment of quiet contemplation, the Absol looked at Pikachu, as if it was silently asking him what he thought. And in response, Pikachu bounded over to Ash and jumped onto his shoulder.

That seemed to be enough for the young Absol, who began slowly approaching, before gently nudging against Ash's hand. When nothing happened, the Absol seemed to relax and began snuggling up to Ash, with Pikachu jumping down onto its back to give his own greeting.

Satisfied that Absol was no longer afraid of him, Ash stood back up.

"Hey Rotom, could you come here a sec? I need to scan Absol quick." Ash called, signalling the sentient Pokédex to come over and to scan Absol quickly.

"Righty-o then! Scan commence!" Rotom announced before making a beeping noise.

"Absol: The Disaster Pokémon. The only thing unlucky about Absol is its appearance. It protects fields and warns people of disaster, so one ought to be grateful for it. This Absol is female." Rotom announced, but everyone apart from Ash was paying more attention to the cute display of Pikachu and Absol bonding, since it seemed that the young disaster Pokémon had taken a shining to Pikachu. And Ash just nodded along, before pulling a Pokéball out of his pocket.

"Hey Absol, can you come here a sec?" Ash called, catching Absol's attention again. When Absol strolled over to Ash, he presented the Pokéball.

"This is a Pokéball, I can use it to catch you if you want. If you do, you can join our little family, what do you say?" Ash asked gently, being careful not to be too animated like he normally was, since Absol was likely still easily spooked.

Absol looked at the ball curiously for a moment or two, before gently tapping against it and being sucked into the ball, being caught instantly.

Ash just sighed in relief. He was tempted to do his usual routine of shouting excitedly how he caught a new Pokémon, but the events of the day were beginning to catch up to him and he was feeling knackered now. So instead, he just let Absol out of her Pokéball (and she just bounded back to Pikachu) and decided to go to bed.

As he went to his couch bed, he was suddenly surprised by Latias zooming past him onto his bed, before beckoning Ash to lie down as well, with the intent of making Ash lie on her like she was some kind of pillow.

Too tired to question it, Ash just lied down and got comfortable, while Latias did the same. But although he was tired, there was something that was on his mind that he had to ask before he dozed off.

"Hey Latias, where did Mew go? She just disappeared after I handed out the eggs to the others."

This caused Latias' eyes to widen, and she began sweating as she internally panicked over what she was going to tell Ash.

" _Erm, well… she, had, to go. Yeah, she said she had something to do tonight and that she'd be back tomorrow. Definitely nothing to worry about. Hehehe…"_ Latias nervously spluttered, trying desperately to get her story straight.

However, there wasn't any real need, since Ash would probably have still not picked up on it when he was at his most alert, but now? When he was tired? Yeah, there was no hope of him noticing.

"Oh well, I guess we'll just see her tomorrow then. Probably for the best, there's already a lot of us here, we don't want to overwhelm the Professor now do we? Good night then Latias."

And just like that, he was asleep. Much to Latias' relief.

' _Thank Arceus he didn't pick up on my lie. He doesn't need any more stress. Let's just hope Mew can find out what's going on before it's too late.'_

* * *

The Hall of Origin was filled with a mass of activity, with several Legendaries scampering about trying to finish their preparations.

Several of the Legendaries that had yet to give Ash his gift was busy trying to prepare their gift. Whether it'd be them sorting out the final details of their gift (like Yveltal), finishing the construction of their gift (like Groudon and Kyogre), or even just trying to think of an appropriate gift to begin with (like Lugia). No matter what was going on, the Hall was filled with activity.

It was through this activity that Mew was darting through in a panic, trying to locate Arceus. She had to inform her of this threat to Ash, since she had **no idea** what the hell they were, and that worried her. She was one of the younger Mews granted, but she was still close to two hundred and fifty years old, which was old enough for her to be mostly acquainted with most Pokémon.

And yet, she hadn't even heard of one like this. Which terrified her.

She soon found Arceus, who was in the middle of scolding Jirachi, and soon darted over to her.

" **For the hundredth time, you CANNOT give him a million wishes. That would be too much for any human. What would he even use them for?"** Arceus stated tiredly, having said this quite a few times already.

Jirachi simply pouted at the fact that their gift idea had been rejected again, before floated off to try and think of either a new gift entirely or to scale back his original idea. And while he floated away, Mew zoomed up to Arceus.

" **Ah, young Mew. You're the one from Kanto, yes? The one who watches over the Chosen One's home town? How are you doing?"** Arceus greeted, her energy back already from seeing a new face.

" _No time! Big problem! Must see!"_ Mew yelped, before projecting her memories to Arceus.

Psychics are capable of great things with their minds, but they don't make use of all of their abilities. One of the lesser known and lesser used abilities is the skill to project memories to other psychically capable beings, in order to show them an unaltered version of events that they experienced. It wasn't used much due to the fact that it doesn't have much use, at least practically.

However, this was one of those few times when it was helpful.

With a flash from Mew's eyes, her memories of the afternoon were suddenly transmitted to Arceus, from Xerneas giving Ash the eggs, to the attack of the strange beast. And Arceus did not like the implications of what this meant.

" **LEGENDARIES! TO ME! NOW!"**

And just like that, every Legend that was present suddenly dropped everything to rush over to Arceus. Normally, she was a placate soul, with only a few things being capable of angering her. One of them was betraying her trust, like when she had thought Damos had betrayed her. Another was when they threatened her close friends, like the Chosen One after he tried to save her from the false betrayal.

Both situations led to something that all the Legendaries were terrified of: **JUDGEMENT**

They remained in silence, waiting for Arceus to speak again. And when she did, her voiced boomed across the Hall.

" **HEAR ME NOW, FOR I BRING GRAVE NEWS! WE ARE IN GRAVE DANGER!"**

THAT, got everyone's attention, as all the Legendaries began priming themselves for combat almost instantly.

" **I DO NOT KNOW WHEN, I DO NOT KNOW HOW, BUT SOON, WE WILL BE ATTACKED! AND WE MUST PREPARE! FINISH YOUR GIFTS! PREPARE ALL YOU CAN! THE CHOSEN ONE MUST BE READY! OUR HOPES NOW LIE WITH HIM!"**

And with that, the Legendaries rushed back to what they were doing, knowing now that their gifts were all the more important. No longer was it simply a sign of gratitude, but a gift bearing great significance, for it could mean the difference between life and death for our resident hero.

" **WE MUST PREPARE! FOR THE ULTRA BEASTS STRIKE!"**

* * *

It was early in the next morning, and Ash was yet again making his rounds to feed everyone breakfast. After all the excitement from the previous day, including the several Legendary visits and the birth of their latest family member, everyone had gotten a solid night's sleep, and were now raring to go again.

As they devoured their breakfasts, with Pikachu having to take occasional breaks to ensure that Absol was eating her food (since she was just a baby afterall), they wondered what wonders they were going to see today. Unbeknownst to Ash, a small betting ring had been set up, with Infernape and Torterra being the ones in charge of the bets. While they didn't bet any actual money, they did bet Pokébeans, since the delectable treats had been in short supply ever since Ash's extended family had shown up in Alola, so they were highly valuable to the various assembled Pokémon (even Pikachu had bet, with the intent of trying to rustle up a few Pokébeans for Absol to try).

While Ash was shorting out everyone's breakfast, he was suddenly knocked off his feet by a pink blur (much to Latias' shock and displeasure), signalling the return of Ash's biggest fan.

Much to everyone's amusement.

"Hey look, Mew's back guys." Donphan shouted, so that those who had been busy stuffing their faces could spot the returning floating cat Legendary.

Speaking of which…

"Whoever had 'Mew returning for breakfast', come get your winnings!" Torterra shouted, gaining the attention of Noivern, Lycanroc, Litten, and (surprisingly) Latias.

"Heh, of course we'd find a way to trivialise this." Pikachu muttered to himself, much to the confusion of the young Absol.

"Is… is this normal?" Absol asked gingerly. (A/N: I'm going off the assumption that Pokémon learn how to speak very quickly)

"Yeah it is, don't worry. You'll get used to it. We all did." Pikachu said casually while munching on another food pellet, causing the colour to drain from Absol's face.

However, it wasn't that much later when three beams of light appeared from the horizon, darting towards the amassed Pokémon at great speeds.

Because of the fact that Ash's Pokémon were now more prepared for sudden appearances, a few of Ash's Pokémon decided to fly out and greet the approaching Legendaries (or what they assumed was Legendaries, but let's be real, what else could it have been?). In this curious little greeting group, was Noivern, Latias, Pidgeot, Swellow, and Talonflame, with the rest of Ash's flying types deciding to hold back in case they were needed.

But Pikachu could only sigh in displeasure.

"They could have at least waited until we had finished breakfast. That's just inconsiderate." Pikachu muttered in an annoyed fashion, which definitely confused Absol.

They were about to be blessed with the arrival of not just one, but three _other_ Legendaries, and her father was more concerned about having not finished breakfast.

Just what kind of family had she joined?

* * *

Ash was in the middle of giving Mew something to eat (as well as an obligatory stroke as well, since she was ridiculously cute), he spotted a bunch of his Pokémon flying out to greet a trio of lights that was flying towards him.

"Well Mew, looks like we're starting early again. You know, just once, I'd wish I could plan out these things. It'll never happen, but it's a nice thought." Ash grumbled, which got him a sympathetic giggle from the cat that was currently nestling in his hat.

Looking out over the horizon, Ash looked at the trio of lights that was currently speeding towards him, and he began to vaguely recognise the lights. There was a bright blue light, a bright red light, and a bright orange light, all three of them were currently speeding towards his position.

And for once in his life, Ash was prepared for what was going to happen, as he had figured out who exactly was approaching. And to be honest, he was kind of looking forward to it.

"You know, I've been wondering how they've been since Sinnoh. Hopefully they've not had too much to deal with." Ash said, genuinely curious as to how they were.

And soon enough, followed by an entourage of Pokémon from Ash's family, the Legendaries in question appeared.

They were the Lake Guardians of Sinnoh, the ones tasked with maintaining balance in not only the Sinnoh region should one of the Creation Trio run amok, and were beings capable of influencing crucial parts of the human psyche. There was Azelf, the Being of Willpower, and the one who gave humans courage in the face of adversity. There was Mespirit, the Being of Emotion, and the one who gave humans the capability to love, to laugh, and to experience life in a better light. There was Uxie, the Being of Knowledge, and the one who gave humans understanding, and the skill to learn and adapt. Truly, they were some of the most unappreciated, yet some of the most important Legendaries to humans there were.

And yet…

"Hey! How you doing?" Ash shouted jovially, waving his arm frantically to give the trio a good welcoming.

And much to the surprise of Professor Kukui, who had been sitting nearby with a drink in hand as he watched Ash dish out the various breakfasts for his Pokémon, they happily floated over to him, spinning around him happily as they gave him their greetings.

Feeling the excitement of the three Legendaries floating around Ash, Mew decided to join in, and soon Ash was in the centre of a quad of giddy, excitable, psychic Legends. Not that he minded, he was actually quite enjoying himself.

After a few minutes of the trio playing with Mew with Ash chuckling to himself in the middle, they managed to compose themselves enough to remember why they had come.

And so, with a flourish, they floated upwards as they began to compose themselves for their gift. And it was Azelf who spoke first.

" _Ash, Chosen One, you have done much to help protect and serve the world, and none know this better than us."_

Mespirit then floated forward.

" _Your actions in Sinnoh were exemplary, and without them, we would not be here right now to enjoy the pleasures of the world around us."_

And finally, Uxie floated forward.

" _So, in reflection of your actions, we have come bearing gifts that show the great significance of your service. We hope that they serve you well. And I will give you my gift first."_

And with that, Uxie descended towards Ash, before placing her dual tails on Ash's forehead.

" _As the Being of Knowledge, I come bearing knowledge. You will now be able to read, understand, and speak in the languages of the world. No longer, will the tongues of other beings be a barrier to your understanding."_ And with that, light began to flow from Uxie's tails, basking Ash in its light. When it died down, Ash blinked a few times, and then looked at his hands.

"Erm, I don't feel any different." Ash commented, flipping over his hands as Pikachu jumped up onto his shoulders."

"Give it a minute you idiot, maybe it just takes a minute."

That caused Ash's head to snap up, as the unknown voice caught him off guard. He didn't know **that** voice.

"Who was that? Reveal yourself!" Ash shouted, as he began panicking. Someone had managed to sneak up on him while in the presence of Legendaries.

"What is it Ash? What did you hear?"

'There's the voice again!' Ash internally panicked, much to the entertainment of the Legendary who was floating in front of him.

'Wait a minute…' Ash realised, as he suddenly noticed that the voice had been _awfully_ close, and that Pikachu was on his shoulder.

" _Yes, Chosen One, my gift is not limited to just the tongues of humans. Now, you will be able to understand any and all Pokémon you come across, which I feel will be something that I can see you making very good use of."_ Uxie explained, with the smallest hint of a smile gracing her face.

 **That** , caught the interest of every Pokémon present. Their trainer, being able to actually understand them? That… sounded promising.

"Wow, that is incredible! Ash! I will make the most of this gift, and I demand now that ALL my meals will be coated in ketchup. You cannot use the excuse of not being able to understand me to deny me my right!" Pikachu began shouting into Ash's ear, much to the amusement of everyone present.

While that was happening, Uxie floated back up to where Azelf and Mespirit was while Mespirit took her place.

" _And now it is my turn."_ Mespirit stated, before taking a more serious air, as she also placed her dual tails on Ash's forehead.

" _As the Being of Emotion, I come bearing emotion. You will now be able to sense the emotions of those around you, and gain a level of understanding that no other human will have. You can now understand, in depth, how those you interact feel when you deal with the issues of the world. A most worthy gift for a protector of humans and Pokémon alike."_ And with that, bright light enveloped Ash again, but this time, Ash felt the difference immediately.

All around him, Ash could suddenly feel the emotions of the people and Pokémon that surrounded him. He could feel their curiosity, their amazement, and their genuine amusement as they watched the display in front of them. He could also sense the shock that was filling the Professor's heart, and the nervousness that was seeping into the young Absol that Pikachu was fathering.

All in all, it was a pretty amazing feeling.

While Ash began toying with his powers, Mespirit was simply watching in plain amusement. She always enjoyed the antics of humans, especially ones like Ash. Their near 'child-like' amusement with simple powers was something that she wished she could see more off. But for now, she was content to watch this.

While Ash was toying around with his new powers, Mespirit swapped positions with the last of their trio; Azelf. And Azelf seemed particularly excited for this gift.

Slapping Ash on the head with her tails to gain his attention, Azelf couldn't help but snigger as Ash focused in on her.

" _Ok then, it's my turn."_ And with that, Azelf placed her tails on Ash's head like the others had.

" _As the Being of Willpower, I come bearing Willpower. No longer will you submit to the powers of others, as you will now exist as a free agent. No one will force you to submit, and no one will ever use your gifts for evil. You are now the ultimate champion of freedom, as you are in the truest sense of the word; free!"_ And with that, bright light enveloped Ash for the last time, bestowing him the ultimate gift of willpower.

However, as Ash began thinking about the implications of this final gift, Azelf slapped Ash again to gain his attention.

" _Chosen One… Ash. I must apologise, I realise that my gift is rather lacklustre compared to the others, and I struggled to think of something else to give you. There was a reason why I chose you as the one who I would present my soul to. It is not because you are the Chosen One, but because you best represent what I am: pure willpower. Even in the face of impossible odds, you stand tall, and refuse to give in to your adversaries, to protect people and Pokémon you don't even know. There is no one I would trust in this world, more than you. Which is why this next part of my gift is very crucial."_

And with that, Azelf suddenly darted to Ash's belt, and tapped a Pokéball, being sucked inside it before Ash could react. With only the ding signalling her capture to signify to Ash what had just happened, Azelf popped out of the Pokéball again.

" _And that is why I have decided to join your team. The human embodiment of will deserves the power of willpower personified, so I pledge myself to you. Ash Ketchum, do you accept my gift?"_

And just like that, Ash's jaw had officially hit the floor. For the second time in as many days, he had an old friend who happened to be a Legendary seek him out, and then join his team out of the blue. But unlike the first time, he was somewhat more prepared, and reacted accordingly.

"OF COURSE, I ACCEPT IT! I mean, if you're ok with it, then I'd love for you to join my team. If you really want to join, then all I've got to say is: welcome to the family!" Ash exclaimed excitedly.

Because to be fair, he is only fifteen.

And with that, Azelf happily zipped around Ash's head, excited to join him on his journey. After zipping around his head a few times, she zipped up to her sisters to bid her goodbye. After she stated her goodbye, which included a bunch of excitable giggles from the three, Uxie and Mespirit suddenly started glowing, only staying long enough to wave goodbye to Ash and the others before they zipped away, disappearing into the horizon.

"Well, that was certainly something." Pikachu muttered, which made Ash jump again.

This was going to take some getting used to.

* * *

"Good Arceus it is hot here!" A high pitch, spoilt voice shouted out, as they left the airport that they had just arrived at.

"I know, right? It's, like, stupidly hot." Another voice, not too dissimilar to the first agreed, clearly feeling the same dissatisfaction, her companion was.

"And the jetlag is killing me. It'll take me weeks to recover from this." A third voice stated, fanning themselves overdramatically.

"Oh would you shut up!" A final voice shouted out, their patience finally (not that it lasted very long) running out.

"What's the matter Misty? I would have thought you'd enjoy this." Daisy said, annoyed by Misty's attitude.

"What's the matter? We've only been here five minutes and you're already complaining. That's exactly how you ruin a holiday!" Misty retorted.

Not having anything to say in return, Daisy, along with their other two sisters, Violet and Lily, simply strutted off with their luggage towards their hotel. After many years of touring and running the gym, the sisters as a group decided that they were due a holiday, and they had decided on the tropical Alola.

However, they had barely been here for five minutes and already Misty was regretting this decision.

As she picked up her backpack (which was all the luggage she had brought) and went to try and catch up with her sisters, she spotted a poster on a nearby wall. Confused with what she saw, she decided to investigate.

The sign was a warning, stating that the person in the picture was in possession of a herd of Tauros, and was, as a result, someone who had to be avoided at all costs, if people valued their general health. However, what caught Misty's attention, was the fact that the person in the picture was the same idiotic trainer that she called her best friend.

"So, Ash is in Alola, huh? Guess I need to give him a call." Misty said with an evil smirk. And with that, she rushed off to get to her hotel room, her holiday potentially being saved. Because afterall, when ever Ash was involved, trouble (and fun) was never far away.

* * *

Ash was in the middle of setting up a massive training session.

He had decided today that he would make full use of his rare TMs, and had spent the last two hours after Azelf's appearance teaching the TMs to his Pokémon. Although it was taking a fairly long time, it was proving to be effective. The beach around Professor Kukui's lab was now turning into a collection of craters and explosions as his Pokémon tested out their new moves.

Azelf had joined Mew in her position in Ash's hat, with Ash no longer even needing a hat, since his head was now a gathering point for small Legendaries apparently.

Pikachu was still laughing at him for that.

However, while he was in the middle of teaching X-Scissor to Sceptile, he was suddenly interrupted by the sound of footsteps in the sand. Turning quickly to see who was walking towards him, he was surprised by who he saw.

Walking towards him was a boy who was the same age as Ash, but with dark blue hair and a cold, haunting stare. Wearing just jeans and a top (forgoing the jacket that Ash normally saw him in), he walked calmly towards Ash before stopping, and looking Ash dead in the eye.

They held this stare off for a few minutes, before the guy in question smirked.

"Hello again Ash. It's been a long time. I was wondering if we could have a rematch, just to see where we stand."

All Ash could do was smile, this was something he had wanted to do for quite a while.

"Paul, it would be my genuine pleasure."

* * *

Sup everyone, how we all doing?

I got this chapter done much sooner than I anticipated, especially since I was trying to write a chapter for my other story. But I got a case of writer's block, so I moved onto this story instead and got it done in a single sitting. So yeah, hope you enjoy it.

So, in this chapter, the first egg hatched, revealing an Absol. Was anyone expecting that? I hope not, otherwise I'm getting predictable. And the Lake Trio of Sinnoh made their appearance, giving him various powers. So, to recap, Ash can now understand literally anyone, including his Pokémon (which I will play around with a bit more in the next chapter), he can sense the emotions of others (which will come in handy much later), and he can't be mind controlled. And Azelf joined the team as well.

And I managed to include two of my favourite side characters in this chapter as well, or at least I managed to set them up for more involvement in future chapters. I chose Misty because she's the OG Pokégirl, and I just love the way she and Ash would argue with one another. Great writing opportunity there. And Paul, without a doubt, is my favourite rival of Ash's. He's just a sick trainer, and a great opposite for Ash. Next chapter, Ash vs. Paul in a 6 on 6 rematch. I already have a line-up in mind for both of them, but I'm curious to see what Pokémon **you** want to see in this line-up. Let me know by PMing me or leaving a review.

So, with five eggs left to hatch, and several Legendary Pokémon who have yet to appear, I'm more curious than ever to see what you guys want to show up. So please let me know, I'm so curious. And, just gonna throw this out there. I'm not against Pokémon making **reappearances**. So, if you have a Legendary and a gift idea, but the Legendary has already been used, let me know anyway and if I like it, I may just bring that Legendary back for another showing.

But overall people, thank you for reading this chapter, hope you enjoy it, peace out – TWoS.


	10. Chapter 10

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 10**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Lillie wasn't sure if she was ready to see Ash again today. Not because of anything he'd done, but because she wasn't sure if she could handle another day of him casually dealing with God-like beings popping in to visit him.

Lillie prided herself on being quite knowledgeable on all things Pokémon, especially since she started getting over her fear of touching Pokémon. From the first moment she became able to touch Snowy, she had been doing additional research on Pokémon to try and progress further with the challenge of overcoming her phobia, something she thought she had been doing well when she had finally touched Pikachu willingly.

But now she had may have had her progress reverted unintentionally.

Yesterday, she had met one of Ash's friends that he said he had met in Johto who looked **exactly** like a human. Ash had even treated her like a human (but now that she thought about it, was there any difference between how he treated a person and a Pokémon? He looked out for both and helped them whenever possible. Huh), and she had thought nothing of it. She had simply been polite and went to shake her hand.

Only to find out a few hours later that she was not only a Pokémon disguised as a human, but a Legendary Pokémon at that.

Lillie had been mulling that fact over in her mind since she left Ash and the rest of her friends yesterday. She had shaken hands with a Pokémon. And nothing bad happened. She didn't freak out, she didn't scream in fear, she had barely flinched. And now she was wondering if her phobia was simply some kind of placebo. It was obvious that she only acted on this fear when she knew a Pokémon was present, so maybe she could find a way to get use to touching Pokémon using this information.

She'd have to remember to ask Ash and the Professor what they thought on the matter.

Right now, she was waiting outside of the Pokémon school for the others to show up. Even though it was a Sunday, and they didn't have school today, she and the others had decided that this was the best place to meet up before heading out towards Kukui's again. They had pretty much decided that they were going to hang out with Ash again.

There was no way they were going to miss what was undoubtedly going to happen to Ash.

She had arrived first, with James dropping her off quite quickly in the morning, and she was followed shortly by Lana, who for some reason had brought a bunch of Pokémon treats that were specialised for water types. When questioned about it, she had said that she simply wanted to befriend some of Ash's water types.

Which was fair enough.

Kiawe was next, flying in on his Charizard as he normally would, but this time there was a sense of urgency in the way he flew in, as Charizard had barely slowed down to a slow glide when Kiawe had jumped off in front of them.

Apparently, he didn't want to miss anything that happened with Ash either.

Next was Sophocles, who came sprinting to the school with his Togedemaru running by his side excitedly. When he arrived by the school's entrance (and after he caught his breath), he had basically told them the same thing that Kiawe had: he was simply excited to see more Legendaries.

After a few more minutes, Mallow finally showed; which isn't surprising by itself. She was commonly late in the mornings since she'd help her dad set up the restaurant before leaving. So, whenever they met up in the morning like this, she'd be running a few minutes late. What was surprising however, was the redhead that was accompanying her.

Walking down the road alongside Mallow was some girl wearing a pair of yellow short, a red undershirt with a blue collar, and a sleeveless yellow jacket held together with a single blue button. She and Mallow were casually chatting to one another as they approached the school. Which was when Mallow spotted everyone else.

"Hey guys! You all ready to go?" She shouted out, waving at them excitedly.

"Erm, yeah sure, but aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?" Lana asked with a confused look on her face. Who exactly was this person? And why did Mallow bring her to go and see Ash? Surely there was some kind of risk due to all the Legendaries being present, right?

This was when the redhead began smiling to herself, before stepping forward to address the group.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, you must all be on edge because you're going to see Ash and there's something he's keeping secret again, isn't he?" She asked with the slightest hint of amusement, almost as if she wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

This caused all of them to recoil slightly. She knew Ash?

This was when Mallow stepped in again, aiming to calm their nerves.

"Guys, listen, she's alright. I bumped into her yesterday when she was asking around. Turns out she used to travel with him back in Kanto." Mallow explained.

"And Johto too, and if you're worried because Ash is looking out or helping some Legendary, then don't sweat it. I'm used to him and his shenanigans." Misty added with a simple dismissal of her hand.

Lillie took this moment of awkwardness to look over her, trying to see if there was something about her that made her seem more trustworthy. The way she spoke about Ash certainly sounded like she not only knew him, but had gotten use to him. It certainly _sounded_ like she was telling the truth, but what if she was just a good liar?

That was when Lana's eyes widened, as she suddenly remembered something.

"Wait a minute, I've seen you in some of Ash's photos that he keeps of his travels. You travelled with him and a slightly older boy in a vest, didn't you?"

Smiling at the mention of one of her other old friends, Misty turned towards Lana to address her.

"Yeah, that's Brock you're talking about. Real romantic, in the sense that he falls in love with just about anyone. I'm surprised he's never gotten into trouble for it." Misty commented wistfully, remembering all the times she's had to drag the poor guy by his ear from his unfortunate attempts of flirting.

Finally, everyone calmed down enough to begin to trust her. They had heard Ash say something of a similar sense when they asked about the picture before. She definitely knew him.

"Well, we're about to go and meet Ash, he's been getting visited by Legendaries for the last few days, so we're going to help him deal with, that, I guess." Kiawe explained, putting away the Pokéball he had discretely pulled out at the first mention of Ash.

All Misty could do was sigh to herself.

"What's he done now?"

* * *

Pikachu was watching as Ash was talking to the massive horde of Pokémon who had assembled in front of him. When Paul had issued his challenge, several dozen of his Pokémon had begun to crowd him for an opportunity to battle, not that Pikachu could blame them.

The only reason why he wasn't also vying for a spot-on Ash's team was because of his new charge in the form of his surrogate daughter; Absol.

Absol had seemed uneasy at the idea of a lot of these Pokémon going into battle, and had physically cringed when Latias had floated past her. Clearly, she wasn't used to being around a bunch of powerful/disaster prone Pokémon like the ones that was in Ash's family. So, Pikachu had made a point of sitting this one out to make her more comfortable.

Something which Ash understood and respected fully.

So, he was now sitting next to Absol, gently stroking her fur as he tried his best to reassure her that everything was fine. He figured it was working, since she was actually beginning to relax and lean into his stroking.

"Feeling better?" Pikachu asked gently, not wanting to cause another panic for her.

Looking down at him (due to the fact that she was much taller than him, even when sitting down – much to Pikachu's chagrin), Absol took a shaky breath before answering.

"I guess, but it's difficult. It's intense being around Master alone, let alone everyone else. It's just very discomforting being around such danger."

Overlooking the 'master' comment, since that was just something baby Pokémon did at first (she'd grow out of it within a week, Pikachu reminded himself), Pikachu just kind of shrugged.

"I don't know what to say, there's not a lot I can do. These guys aren't as dangerous as you probably think, they're just strong. Isn't there anything you can do to make your, disaster sense I think it's called, less potent? Or something?" Pikachu asked gingerly, trying his best to help his little girl, who he was already getting incredibly attached to.

Absol smiled slightly at this, before nuzzling against him.

"Yes, I suppose there is. A combination of constant exposure and meditation will eventually allow me to fine tune it so that I'm not as, affected, by the presence of such strength and danger. Until then, all I can do is endure it." She mused, enjoying the close contact with her father figure.

While she was **very** aware that Pikachu wasn't her father, she just didn't sense that natural link that most Pokémon had to their natural parents (even though they **were** in the same egg group), he was for all intents and purposes her father. And just spending this time simply in his presence was enough to make her feel incredibly happy.

Sighing to himself at how little he could do for Absol, Pikachu simply nodded again, while also making a note to try and ask around for someone who knew something about meditation.

'Maybe Snorlax knows something about it, I mean, surely he can't naturally just be sleeping all the time.' Pikachu wondered to himself, before he was ripped from his thoughts by the sound of footsteps.

"Ah, looks like you'll get to meet the Alola crew." Pikachu mentioned to Absol, who perked up as she began to notice the approaching people as well.

"The Alolan crew? I'm afraid I do not know them. Are they friends of the Master?" Absol inquired.

"Yeah, I guess you can call them that," Pikachu mused as he began to get up. "They're the people he goes to school with, they're alright. Nice people, lot to learn about being trainers, but they've got potential."

But as Pikachu turned to go and greet them, he was stopped in his tracks by a face he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Misty?"

* * *

After a couple of minutes, Ash had finally picked out a team of Pokémon to battle Paul with. It had been hard, what with most of his Pokémon wanting to get a chance to battle, but he had picked out a good team. He had focused on Pokémon who either hadn't had a battle for a long time, needed to have a battle to get used to a major change to their bodies, or had an emotional stake in the battle.

So overall, a fairly solid team.

Now with his team sorted out, he went to go and tell Paul, who was currently resting against a tree in a contemplative silence, that he was ready to battle. But before he could, he spotted a familiar set of red hair walking towards him from the distance.

"It can't be…" Ash all but whispered to himself. What were the chances?

"Oi Ash, would you stop staring and come say hi to me you idiot?!"

Nope, it was definitely her.

Breaking into a sprint, he closed the distance between them quickly and picked her up in a back breaking hug. One she happily returned.

After squeezing each other for a few seconds, they parted to start firing rapid-fire questions at one another.

"Misty, what are you doing in Alola?"

"Ash, what are you doing in Alola?"

"How did you know I was here? I'm not exactly telling people about where I'm staying."

"How have you made yourself a public menace, already? I mean, that's ridiculous even for you."

"How did you meet my classmates? And when?"

"Why are all of your Pokémon here? Who thought it was a good idea to let your insane idea of a family run rampant? And is that a Mew on your head?"

That final question broke the barrage, as the two individuals suddenly started focusing on the pink feline that had been nestling on Ash's head since she had arrived that morning. With how long she had been there, Ash had kind of forgotten about her.

And Azelf was there as well, but that was another matter.

The Alola crew meanwhile, was just watching in sheer amazement. The two had gone from being happy to see each other, to being at each other throats practically, in a matter of seconds. Just who exactly where these people?

Chuckling, Ash just scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, that's a long story."

Misty just crossed her arms in an unamused manner, very much thinking and showing that she had expected nothing less.

"Well I want the full story, no exceptions Ketchum."

"Sure, but can I have this battle first, I literally, just, finished preparing my team so I'd like to get that done."

But that only got Misty to laugh, much to the added confusion of the Alola crew.

"Putting battles above all else, at least I know you haven't changed. Go get him Ash, let's see if you've actually become a decent trainer." Misty goaded, before waving her hand to the side, inviting him to step up to the plate.

Gladly willing to meet her challenge, he turned to Paul.

"Alright, I'm ready!"

* * *

The two battlers took their position on opposite ends of the standard battlefield in the Pokémon school. Now that Ash had picked his team, he took them, and a select few of his other Pokémon who wanted to watch, and went to the battlefield. Since they didn't want to completely demolish the area surrounding Professor Kukui's home, they went to the nearest official battle area to duke it out, which just so happened to be at the Pokémon school.

Joining them was the entire Alola crew, who at this point had let out their signature Pokémon to join them, Pikachu and Absol, who were both leaning against each other in a comfortable manner, Misty, and a few other random students who had been hanging out nearby and were curious to see what was going on. To top everything off, Professor Kukui had taken the position of referee for this battle, and was now taking his place on the podium on the side.

"This will be a six versus six single battle. The first trainer to win four of the single battles will be declared the winner. In the event of a draw, each trainer will pick one more Pokémon for a final one versus one single battle. Are there any objections from the combatants?"

When neither trainer showed any displeasure towards these rules, Kukui carried on laying out the rules.

"No items are allowed, and a Pokémon is disqualified when they can no longer battle. And I will now do a coin flip to determine who gets the first move."

After a brief coin toss, which Paul won, Kukui concluded his little pre-battle talk.

"And now, both trainers may begin when ready. Show me some powerful moves, I know you've got them. BATTLE BEGIN!"

"Swellow, let's do this!"

"Gliscor, stand by for battle."

And just like that, the battle between these two heated rivals had begun. Although, Paul had been somewhat surprised at the fact that Ash had picked a Pokémon that wasn't a part of his Sinnoh team. He was half expecting him to bring that team back just to try and best him again.

'He knows I'd be expecting that,' Paul realised to himself. 'So, he does have a few surprises in him… good.'

"Alright Gliscor, start with an X-Scissor."

Using his tail to propel himself forward, Gliscor launched at Swellow, trying to get some early damage in.

"Swellow, get up in the air quick!"

Responding quickly, Swellow launched up in the air at speeds that even Paul was somewhat impressed by.

"Now, use Aerial Ace multiple times, keep him on his toes!"

And Swellow begun rapidly launching itself at Gliscor, his mastery of aerial manoeuvrability allowing him to slash at Gliscor from angles he couldn't defend from. Gliscor tried to defend himself, but every time that he turned to try and defend himself Swellow would already be gone.

Much to Paul's annoyance.

'How is his Swellow so fast? To think Ash has had these Pokémon available all this time.' Paul mused, while he formulated a plan to try and counter Ash's bird.

'This isn't too different from his usual strategy of focusing on speed and power, but I've only ever seen his Gliscor move in and out of attack range with such ease. I didn't think he'd have other Pokémon who could do that himself.'

But that was when Paul noticed something.

"Gliscor, Guillotine behind you now."

And with a quick pivot of his body, Gliscor's claw suddenly clamped around Swellow's body as he went for another Aerial Ace behind him. Just like when he fought Ash's Gligar.

With a collection of audible gasps from the spectators stand, Paul felt confident that he had won, in the same manner he had when he last used Gliscor against Ash. But then he realised that Ash hadn't said anything. As a matter of fact, he was smirking.

'Why is he smirking?'

"Now Swellow, take off!"

This caused everyone's eyes, including Paul's to widen. What did he just order.

And to the immense surprise of everyone, Swellow took off, dragging Gliscor with him into the air.

"Now, throw him into the ground!"

And with that, Swellow twisted his body around, dragging Gliscor into an arching throw into the ground, smashing into the ground with enough force to create a small crater. When the dust cleared, Gliscor was out for the count.

"Gliscor is unable to battle, awarding Ash the first win. Trainers, pick your next Pokémon."

* * *

To say that Absol was surprised was an understatement.

As a Pokémon who could sense disaster, she had a good idea of who exactly was considered strong (or more accurately, extra strong, in Ash's family) so she had overlooked Swellow as a potential disaster. The stubborn bird had determination, and power, but at first glance there was nothing extraordinary about him. Not like her father, or Greninja, or even that monstrous Charizard (who she was secretly terrified of. His power rivalled even her father's), and that wasn't even going into the Legendaries who had been present.

But yet the bird, whose body was probably smaller than her own body, had effortless carried and thrown a larger opponent into the ground with ease. While being in the hold of an instant KO move. What sheer determination.

Looking over at the trainer of the Gliscor, it would seem that he was very much thinking the same thing as her. He hadn't said a word since his Gliscor had been knocked out. He had simply recalled his Pokémon with a shocked look on his face.

"Hah, that's Swellow for you! Too tough to be beaten down, and too stupid to realise that he's breaking physics! Nice going!" Pikachu suddenly shouted from her back, causing the bird in question to squawk back at him, shouting some form of obscenity in jest before being returned by Ash.

This caused Absol to frown at her father.

"Wait, so you're not surprised by the fact that your teammate was able to throw around an opponent that must have been double their size with ease? Is this common?" Absol questioned. This Pokémon was essentially her uncle, for all intents and purposes all of Ash's Pokémon was her family, so she wanted to try her best to understand what they were capable of.

Pikachu could only shrug in response.

"Not in the slightest, he once caught a Donphan by the horns and did the same thing." Pikachu recollected while looking up to the sky, allowing him to miss the look of complete and utter shock on Absol's face.

But before she could question him further, both of the trainers released their next Pokémon for the battle.

* * *

"Alright, Gigalith, let's do this!"

"Ursaring, stand by for battle."

Ash cringed at the reveal of Paul's Ursaring. He remembered the battle at Lake Acuity where Ursaring defeated half of his team single-handily, including Pikachu. While Ash knew that couldn't happen here due to the format of the battle they were having, he still didn't like the idea of facing Ursaring again.

The fact that he had picked a Pokémon who had a type disadvantage to a lot of Ursaring's moves didn't help. And the fact that Gigalith still wasn't quite used to his new body was another disadvantage.

Although, if there was any Pokémon who could be capable of withstanding Ursaring's overwhelming power, Gigalith would be one of them.

Ash's choice of Pokémon also surprised Paul. If Paul had to guess what kind of Pokémon Ash had to choose from, a large and powerful Pokémon like Gigalith didn't seem to fit in his style. It seemed more like a Pokémon he'd use than anything.

However, neither trainer was willing to let this catch them off surprise, they both began their attacks.

"Gigalith, use Sandstorm to control the field!"

"Ursaring, Bulk Up."

Much to the surprise of everyone, both trainers began with less aggressive moves, instead taking the time to set up and prepare for a clash between powerful Pokémon.

The one most surprised by this however, was Misty. She had seen Ash use some insane sounding strategies, ones that were so far out the box that the box was practically forgotten. But here was Ash actually being cautious, not wanting to just rush in. Clearly, this was a rivalry that Ash took seriously.

But before she could muse on it further, both Pokémon had finished their set-ups and were now awaiting further orders from their trainers. Gigalith was currently surrounded by a raging sandstorm, making it difficult to even see him through the wall of sand and dust. Ursaring on the other hand was now surrounded by a slight red aura, showing the barely contained power that was just begging to be released in battle. Both Pokémon were glaring each other down, waiting for their commands.

"Ursaring, use Focus Blast."

"Gigalith, use Flash Cannon!"

Charging up their attacks as quickly as they could, they launched their attacks at one another, the two powerful attacks meeting in the middle and causing a huge explosion.

However, it was suddenly followed by Ursaring charging forward through the smoke, closing the distance between him and Gigalith quickly. Clearly, this was something Paul had planned for.

"Now, use Hammer Arm."

"Quick, charge up a Rock Smash!"

Ignoring the sand that was now irritating his eyes, Ursaring obliged, bringing his arm down in a powerful arc which smacked directly into Gigalith's body with a resounding *smack* before Gigalith could properly charge up his attack.

This caused a lot of the people in the stands to recoil at the impact; that looked like it hurt.

But suddenly, Gigalith began to glow, and before anyone could question what was going on, Gigalith retaliated with a powerful Rock Smash to Ursaring's gut, forcing the giant bear flying back towards Paul.

"What? How did Gigalith shrug off that attack?" Lillie questioned, but Kukui was smirking at the smart use of Gigalith's natural ability. And Paul was thinking the same thing, even if he hated to admit it.

"Good use of Gigalith's sturdy, I wasn't expecting that." Paul shouted over to Ash, allowing himself to be humble for once. If anyone deserved praise for clever and unexpected use of a Pokémon's skill, it had to be Ash.

This just caused Ash to smirk.

"Thanks Paul, I knew I couldn't take any chances with your Ursaring, so I'm bringing out all the stops today." Ash shouted back, willing to let Paul know that he wasn't underestimating him.

Intent on backing up his words, Ash then went on the attack.

"Alright Gigalith, let's keep up the pressure! Fire Rock Blasts, rapid fire!"

And with that, Gigalith began firing rock after rock towards Ursaring, trying to keep him on the backfoot.

Unfortunately, Paul wasn't so easily caught off guard.

"Ursaring, Giga Impact."

Surprised by the new move, Ash wasn't able to order a response in time to help Gigalith deal with this before Ursaring bowled into him, sending him flying. However, that now meant that he was now stuck in the Sandstorm while he was recharging, and Ash had been waiting for an opportunity like this.

"Alright Gigalith, let's use your new move Hyper Beam to finish this!"

And with Ursaring being caught in Ash's trap, Gigalith fired a gigantic beam of energy, hitting Ursaring with enough force to dispel the entire Sandstorm entirely.

And with that, Ursaring's body fell to the floor, Gigalith's powerful strikes being too much for him to withstand.

"Ursaring is unable to battle, giving Ash the second win. Trainers, please send out your next Pokémon."

Paul simply recalled his Ursaring, muttering a quiet thank you before switching out his Pokéball. Ash had been playing this smart, much smarter than Paul thought possible. Even though he now had more respect for the trainer, he still thought he was a bit of an idiot.

Which is fair enough.

However, he had to turn this around or else Ash was going to dominate him. Something which he couldn't allow.

"Aggron, stand by for battle."

"Meganium, let's show him what we've got!"

And yet again, the two trainers let loose another pair of powerful Pokémon. Meganium was eager to try and get use to her new body. While she loathed the idea of leaving her egg, even for a short period of time, she had entrusted it to Charizard, so she could get the chance to stretch her legs. In all honesty, there was no one else she would trust more with that egg, just earlier that day he had set a weird looking Rattata on fire when it had glanced at his egg.

And now, looking at this imposing Aggron, all Meganium wanting to do was cut loose and do some damage.

Fortunately, Ash was very obliging to this mentality.

"Meganium, use Body Slam!"

"Aggron, Iron Head now."

And thus, the two giant Pokémon charged at one another, throwing their giant forms into one another in a feat of strength.

Digging her heels into the ground, Meganium continued to push, using her new size and strength to gain ground on the hulking steel type.

However, Paul wasn't idly waiting for Meganium to act, instead, he was planning out how to turn this battle around. And he just made a plan.

"Aggron, use Metal Claw."

Grunting intensely as he struggled against Meganium, Aggron pulled back one of his claws before swinging it around and slashing Meganium's face, knocking her aside. While she was stumbling to regain her balance, Paul shouted out another command.

"Now, use Fire Blast."

Taking advantage of the breathing room he now had, Aggron charged up the blast and launched it at Meganium, the hit dealing lots of super effective damage to the dinosaur like Grass type.

However, Meganium was nothing, if not persistent. While she was now struggling to hold herself up, she refused to go down so easily. And Ash could see it in her eyes, she wasn't ready to give up yet.

"Alright Meganium, lets hit back with a Vine Whip!"

Nodding, Meganium prepared her vines for an aggressive counter attack. However, when she began charging up, she felt something within her. Some energy she wasn't aware of before. And when she launched her vines at Aggron, instead of the usual vines she was used to calling, she called forth vines that were as thick as tree trunks, and was coated in giant thorns. Clearly this wasn't Vine Whip.

"Woah, that's Frenzy Plant, one of the strongest Grass type moves a Pokémon can learn." It was Professor Kukui who realised first what move Meganium was using.

Deciding to just roll with it, Ash carried on like nothing had happened.

"Nice going Meganium, let's use this new move to secure the win! Frenzy Plant, full power!"

Nodding, Meganium willed the giant trunks forward to attack Aggron. However, Paul was not undeterred by this. In fact, he seemed pleased.

"Take the hit."

This surprised everyone, except for Ash, since he now realised he was falling into a trap.

"Meganium! Stop now!"

But it was too late, the attack had landed, and although it clearly had an effect on Aggron, it wasn't enough to knock him out.

Which left him in the prime position to counterattack.

"Now, use Fire Blast to finish this."

"Meganium! Dodge!"

Meganium nodded to show she had heard him, but soon found that she was unable to move. Which meant the Fire Blast hit her directly, knocking her out.

"Meganium is unable to battle, meaning Paul is the winner of the third battle. Trainers, please send out your next Pokémon."

But Ash was in shock. Why didn't Meganium move out of the way? Fortunately, Paul was willing to explain his win.

"Clearly you're not used to using Frenzy Plant. It's a powerful move alright, but it has the same drawbacks as Giga Impact and Hyper Beam. So, after using it, you need to recharge, which leaves you exposed. I figured you'd understand that since you just baited me into doing the same thing."

Ash couldn't help but glare at Paul after that backhanded comment. It seems that although he had become a better and nicer trainer as a whole, he still had a lot of snark.

After returning Meganium and thanking her for a good battle, Ash pulled out his next Pokémon, one who had been waiting for an opportunity to get back at Paul. Even though it had been a long time since their last battle, and any grudges had well and truly been settled; it would be a good chance to show just how far they had come.

And from the look in Paul's eye, he was thinking something similar.

And so, with a glint in their eyes, they sent forward their next Pokémon.

"Go, Infernape!"

"Electivire, stand by for battle."

* * *

"Looks like it's finally happening. They're gonna throw down again."

Absol looked at her father in confusion. He was looking oddly contemplative as the next pair of battlers took to the battlefield.

"Why is it of any importance? They're just having a battle, like the others before."

But Pikachu shook his head at this.

"This battle isn't just a normal battle, it's one with history. Infernape and Electivire, as well as Paul for that matter, have a long history with one another for many years now. Although they settled the grudge between them back in Sinnoh, I don't think their rivalry will ever pass. Much like with Ash and Paul." Pikachu explained.

Looking over at the two combatants again, Absol was beginning to see that her father had a point. Both of the Pokémon who had appeared on the battlefield were glaring at one another, challenging each other without making so much as a sound. When these two got started, they wouldn't be holding back.

And Absol wasn't sure what to think of that.

"So, what do you think of this match up?" She heard her father ask suddenly.

"I'm sorry?"

Pikachu then turned and looked directly at her.

"You can sense potential disasters and power, right? What can you sense now?"

Absol hadn't really given it much thought. She was beginning to get used to the constant sense of foreboding she got around her family, especially since she came to the realisation that the best way to adapt to their presence was to accept the fact that they weren't _actually_ dangerous. This battle had shown her that although they were most definitely strong, they weren't like a storm which was about to hit or a bomb about to blow up. They were just natural battlers.

But now that she thought about it, there was something different about this particular stand-off. Both Pokémon, as she had expected, were practically irradiating strength. And the looks they were giving one another made it seem like they weren't going to hold back.

Suddenly, with shouts from both of the present trainers, they darted forward, fists clashing in a blur of activity. Absol's eyes widened as the two Pokémon launched strike after strike at each other, with every hit causing a small shockwave which she could feel even from the stands. They weren't holding back.

And it wasn't clear who was going to win.

One moment, her teammate and uncle Infernape would begin pushing, landing a few Mach Punches and damaging Electivire somewhat. The next, Electivire would counter and strike back, knocking Infernape flying back before following up with a Thunder. Infernape would then flip backwards and disappear into the dirt, avoiding the attack and striking suddenly from the ground to deal more damage to the bulky Electric type.

And Pikachu barely so much as blinked, as he watched the battle intently, criticising every move and strike that was used. He usually watched these battles from the same perspective as Ash, but being in the stands every now and again was good for him, as it allowed him to view these battles from an unbiased angle, giving him a better chance to see the strategies used and the mistakes made.

It was good experience, even for an experienced battler like him.

But even from this angle, he couldn't tell who would win. Not just yet.

* * *

Infernape was sent flying as Electivire managed to hit him with a Thunderbolt, sending him tunnelling into the ground, creating a crater as he went. Deciding to try and make the most of this momentum, flipping into a Dig and disappearing into the ground.

While he tunnelled through the ground, he focused his energy into a Flare Blitz and charged through the ground. When he erupted from the ground, he was greeted by a charged-up Thunder Punch, the clash of powerful attacks causing a shockwave to rock through the surrounding area.

Not wanting to let this opportunity pass, Infernape brought his arm round to land a powerful Mach Punch into Electivire's face. He had given up trying to listen to what Ash was ordering him to do, instead going on instinct and trying to pre-empt what Ash wanted him to do.

Based on the fact that Ash was cheering him on, he was doing a good job of it.

Throwing more Mach Punches, Infernape continued to wait for the perfect opportunity to cut loose. He and Ash had been training for this rematch for a long time, and was now waiting for the opening he needed to secure the win.

They'd never see it coming.

However, while he was focusing on pushing Electivire back, he failed to notice his tendrils dart out and wrap around his tail. Before he could react, he felt the sudden burn of several thousand volts rushing through his body, giving him the feeling of all his nerves being set on fire.

Grunting through the pain, Infernape focused on staying conscious, waiting for the command.

"Infernape, now!"

There it was.

Having been giving the appropriate signal, Infernape smiled confidently at Electivire, who had now realised what was happening. He had been led into a trap.

Tapping into his rage, Infernape could feel the unrestrained power of his Blaze building up, before it exploded in a flash of fire. Infernape could never quite get use to the sudden rush of power he got from Blaze. It felt like all of his nerves became shot and his internal heat went from a standard campfire to a raging inferno.

Perfect for this kind of battle.

Now that he was right up close to Electivire, with Blaze running at full strength, Infernape took this opportunity to charge up a super-powered Flare Blitz, pouring as much energy from his Blaze into the strong attack. Electivire, who was now stuck within arm's reach because of his tendrils, quickly unravelled his twin tendrils to try and jump back, the energy for a protect already beginning to charge up.

However, he wasn't quick enough, as the speed boost that came with Blaze kicked in, allowing Infernape to dart back into Electivire's personal bubble. Protect wasn't going to save him now.

Now safe in the knowledge that Electivire couldn't stop his attack, Infernape launched himself forward, hitting Electivire directly in the stomach with the intense Flare Blitz. The excess energy from the attack then went into overdrive, causing a huge explosion which sent both combatants back towards their trainers.

A few moments past, and at first it looked like neither of them were going to get up. But before Professor Kukui could call it a double knockout, Infernape began to stir. It took him a moment to find his feet, but he eventually found them, and stood tall, all while looking Paul dead in the eyes.

"Electivire is unable to battle, meaning Ash wins the fourth battle. Trainers, send out your next Pokémon."

* * *

As Ash recalled Infernape, thanking him for such a good battle, he began to think about the next Pokémon he was going to send out.

She had practically begged him to give her a chance fighting in a battle, so that she could prove that she was a worthy addition to the team. While Ash tried to reassure her that it didn't matter whether or not she was good, because if she wasn't, they could always train to become better, or even if she didn't want to battle at all, it would be fine with him. But she insisted, so here Ash was, about to witness her first ever battle.

'Well, let's see what you've got. This is going to be fun.'

"Latias, I choose you!"

"Drapion, stand by for battle."

Ash frowned again at the reveal of another powerful Pokémon of Paul's. This particular Pokémon had given him a lot of grief back in Sinnoh, where in the Lilly of the Valley Conference this same Pokémon had taken out half of his team single handily, and took the combined use of those three Pokémon and Gliscor and Infernape to finally bring it down.

It seemed that Paul wasn't playing around with this battle.

Paul however, was simply staring wide-eyed at the Pokémon he was facing. He recognised this Pokémon, due to the similar look it had to another Pokémon he saw back in Sinnoh. In the same tournament as the one where he lost to Ash.

He was facing Latias, a Legendary Pokémon and the female version of Latios, the same Pokémon who was used by that trainer with the Darkrai.

'So, Ash has a Legendary on his team now? Interesting.' Paul thought to himself, as he thought over the battle that was about to happen.

It was clear, even from a glance, that this Pokémon wasn't as experienced as the Latios used by Tobias in Sinnoh. Even now, the red Legendary was somewhat jittery as she looked curiously at her opponent. The same jittery feeling that many young Pokémon had when they had their first battle; a combination of fear and excitement at the prospect of a battle.

'So, it's either a young Legendary or simply an inexperienced one. It seems that Ash has taken a gamble here.' Paul summarised, as he tried to figure out where he stood in this battle.

He had never fought a Lati before, of either type, so he wasn't fully sure what they were capable of. However, he was aware of their dual Psychic-Dragon typing, which meant that his Poison-Dark type Drapion already had a huge advantage over the Legendary.

Smiling at this turn of events, Paul decided that he was going to end this quickly.

"Drapion, use Dark Pulse."

"Latias, take to the air."

As Drapion fired a burst of dark energy towards the dragon, she responded by flying upwards in a burst of speed. Undeterred by the speed boost, Paul simply decided to keep track of her and continue on the offensive.

Latias, on the other hand, was waiting for orders.

" _Ash, what should I do?"_ She called out, using her Psychic abilities to communicate with Ash mentally so that their opponent didn't hear them.

'I'm thinking, it's a powerful Pokémon, so you need to be careful.' Ash thought back, as he looked at the Drapion with a critical eye. He knew from experience that it was difficult to catch this Pokémon off guard, with its ability to see from every angle making any sneak attack near impossible.

Which was when Ash got an idea.

'Latias, use Dragon Breath continuously. We need to create a smokescreen!'

Nodding in agreement, Latias fired a Dragon Breath, just in time to counter a Pin Missile that Drapion had fired into the sky. The resulting explosion covered the battlefield with a dust cloud.

'Now Latias, turn invisible!' Ash commanded, which caused Latias' eyes to widened. She hadn't thought about using her invisibility.

Using the smoke as a cover, Latias covered herself in psychic energy, allowing her to reflect the light that hit her, making her invisible to the naked eye.

When the smoke finally cleared, she had all but disappeared. Something which was very unsettling for Paul.

'Where did she go?'

'Now Latias, use Dragon Claw! And watch out for his tail.'

Latias heard the warning, and she knew full well that Ash was right to be weary. But she didn't care at that moment. She was enjoying herself too much, the thrill of the battle, the complete and utter rush of facing another Pokémon in a trial of strength and skill. And so, she threw caution to the wind and just lashed out with as strong an attack as she could, not really focusing on keeping her guard up.

So, when she landed the attack and saw that Drapion had been hurt by the powerful Dragon type move, she had already begun celebrating to herself, and missed Ash's warning.

"Latias, behind you!"

But before she could realise her blunder, a claw suddenly clamped around her neck, causing her to drop her invisibility as she was suddenly whipped about by the Ogre Scorpion Pokémon.

Meanwhile, Paul could only smirk.

"That was a good strategy Ash, I'll give you that. However, your Pokémon's inexperience might have cost you the battle. Now Drapion, finish this with a Cross Poison."

Drapion gave no indication of having heard Paul's command, but carried it out anyway. Dragging Latias around to where his dual claws were and hit Latias with a powerful Cross Poison, causing the Dragon to cry out in pain. Drapion finished by slamming Latias into the ground, knocking her out for the count.

"Latias is unable to battle, meaning Paul wins the fifth battle. Trainers, please send out your final Pokémon."

Ash however, had ran onto the battlefield to check on Latias. She had been hurt pretty badly by that battle.

"Latias, are you ok?"

All he got in response was a whimper, before Latias looked up at him.

" _I'm sorry I didn't listen. You must think I'm a disappointment."_ She muttered quietly, at such a low volume that Ash nearly missed it. But he didn't.

"Latias, you're not a disappointment. Drapion is a strong Pokémon, much stronger than a lot of my more experienced Pokémon. And even then, this was your first battle. Sure, you made a mistake, but that just means you have space to improve. So, don't beat yourself up about it Latias.' Ash reassured, making sure that Latias knew she hadn't done anything wrong.

It seemed like that did the trick, as Latias stopped whimpering and looked up at him with tears in her eyes, before she began nuzzling against him.

Content that she was cheered up, Ash pulled her Pokéball out and returned her.

"Now get some rest Latias, you did your best."

'Alright, let's begin the final battle.' Ash thought, as he returned to his spot to finish the battle.

* * *

Misty was grimacing over the last battle, since it left a bad taste in her mouth.

She didn't exactly blame Paul, despite how much she really wanted to, but that battle was extremely painful to watch. She knew Latias well from when they had met in Alto Mare, and knew that the playful Legendary was so eager to prove herself to Ash. So, this must have hurt her on a personal level to have lost so badly. But at the same time, she knew that Ash wouldn't really mind. He'd be kinda down about having lost that matchup, but he'd never blame her, or any of his Pokémon.

That was one of the most admirable qualities about him, Misty admitted to herself.

She was just wondering how this last battle was going to go. If Ash lost this one, then it'd go to a draw and they'd need to have one more battle. Knowing Ash, he'd want to end it with this battle, so she was wondering who he'd use. It'd be a tough battle for sure, and now Ash couldn't afford to take any more risks.

But as Ash called out his final Pokémon, she couldn't help but be confused.

'What is he doing?'

* * *

"Weavile, stand by for battle."

"Muk, let's do this!"

That caused everyone to do a doubletake. A Muk?

"Woah, is that a Muk? Why is it only one colour?" Lana found herself asking out loud, which caught Lillie's attention.

"That's because it's a Kanto Muk. Unlike the ones we have here, they're only have a single colour making up their colouration, and is a pure Poison type, rather than a Poison-Dark type." Lillie explained, having read about it in a book.

Paul however, was gobsmacked. A Muk? He was still trying to get over the choice of Pokémon on Ash's part. He knew Ash had a large variety of Pokémon, but they all usually shared one of two main qualities. They were either incredibly quick, or incredibly powerful. This Muk didn't seem to be either.

Or maybe that was the point?

Deciding that this wasn't worth overthinking, instead focusing on making sure that he won this battle, he focused back on the battle.

"Weavile, Metal Claw."

Darting forward, Weavile charged up the steel type attack, knowing full well that it would do lots of damage to the Poison type. However, Ash said nothing, simply watching as Weavile rushed forward towards his Pokémon.

'Maybe he's panicking, its best for me to just take advantage of his lack of focus.' Paul decided, before focusing back on Weavile's attack run, just as the attack landed.

Much to his surprise, and everyone else's apart from Misty, Pikachu, and Ash, the attack did nothing, barely phasing the Poison type. In fact, it barely dented his body, simply rebounding the attack back towards to Weavile, forcing him back.

Deciding to keep on the offensive, Paul overlooked this and called his next attack.

"Weavile, use Night Slash."

And so, Weavile attacked again, but with no difference in results. After that attack, Paul ordered attack after attack, with each one gaining the same result.

Suddenly, Ash spoke for the first time in several minutes.

"Now, Body Slam!"

And to the surprise of everyone present, Muk suddenly smothered Weavile, completely covering his body over the Ice-Dark type. After a few seconds, he got off of Weavile, to reveal that he had been knocked unconscious.

"Weavile is unable to battle, meaning Ash wins the sixth battle. With four wins to Paul's two, Ash wins this battle!" Professor Kukui announced, causing everyone present to start shouting in celebration.

Ash meanwhile, after returning his Muk, went over to Paul.

"Hey Paul, that was a great battle. We should do that again sometimes." Ash said honesty, offering his hand to Paul.

Paul looked at his hand for a moment, before smiling and accepting it, shaking his hand and admitting defeat.

"I'm glad that you've been keeping up your training. Nice to see you're not as predictable as I like to think you are." Paul said, allowing a smirk to fill his face.

Chucking at his backhanded compliment, Ash just smirked back, before he noticed a light from the corner of his eye. His egg!

"One-minute Paul. I'll be right back." Ash said hurriedly, before running to his egg which was in the stands.

Pikachu and Absol was already there, looking at the egg curiously. They were wondering what it was as Ash ran over to check on it.

As soon as he got there, the egg began glowing. Ash noted as he caught his breath that it was the white and light blue egg that was hatching.

It soon began changing shape, with two massive wings beginning to take form, cradling its own body. A long neck began to form, and a long tail began curling around, until the entire Pokémon was balled into itself.

As the glow finally died down, Ash finally got a good look at the Pokémon that just hatched, and his breath was completely gone. Even Mew and Azelf, who had been watching the entire event from Ash's head, was shocked by the Pokémon that had been in the egg.

"It's a Lugia!"

* * *

Hey everyone, congrats on making it to the end of the chapter.

This is easily the longest chapter I've ever written, and it was a blast. I hope I did the battle justice, as I spent ages on it. I've tried to include some Pokémon which haven't had a lot of love recently, or needed to make a debut in the battling scene, and included some elements which I feel would fit in the anime. It was a challenge, but I had fun.

I was planning on including another gift this chapter, but the chapter was too long as it is, so expect one next chapter. If you want to recommend a legendary to show up, I'm all ears.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was a labour of love – TWoS.


	11. Chapter 11

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 11**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Looker was nursing a double scotch on the rocks while flicking through the notes that had been obtained about the latest Ultra Beast incursion, and all he was feeling was frustration.

According to these notes, the incursion had been brief; a short attack on a trainer staying with the regional Professor where they were beaten back, presumably by the Professor. After that, they retreated back into their wormhole and closed the breach. End of story.

And that was what frustrated Looker the most, because he knew that this was probably a one-time thing. A brief appearance which will cause a lot of stir in the scientific community and leave him on a wild goose chase for the next month or two making sure it wouldn't happen again. Although, knowing his luck, he'll have to deal with this again in another couple of years.

He could only hope he didn't end up with another Anabel.

Speaking of Anabel, Looker spared a glance toward her in the other end of the plane cabin, where she sat alone and isolated from the other agents. She seemed to be focusing on her Espeon, gently caressing its fur in a slow, calming motion. It would seem she was as on edge as he was about the whole ordeal.

"Don't assume that we have share the same concerns, Looker." Anabel drawled, not even looking up from her Espeon.

Half jumping out of his seat, Looker cursed under his breath as he spilt his drink over himself. Once he had thoroughly wiped down his shirt with napkins, he looked back up at Anabel with a quizzical look.

"And what do you mean by that, hmm?" Looker questioned, giving Anabel an odd look.

All Anabel did was shake her head and sigh heavily however, looking somewhat disappointed.

"What I mean, Detective Looker, is that you're bothered more by the prospect of having to do work which doesn't benefit you, only the people. I however, am more bothered by the fact that the very same creatures that tried to abduct and/or kill me could very well be on the loose right now." Anabel retorted with a stern look on her face.

Deciding that he wasn't in the mood to argue with her, he just raised his hands in defiance and walked back to where he was sitting with the other agents, who were simply sitting there enjoying the show.

"Whatever you say Anabel, so long as you do what you're supposed to do, I couldn't care less what reasons you have for caring." Looker drawled, downing the rest of his drink as he sat back down.

Not interested in retorting, Anabel simply returned to stroking her Espeon. Espeon had been one of her first Pokémon and was the one she felt most in-tune with. Simply being in her presence was enough to calm her nerves.

Because truthfully, Anabel was terrified of what she could be potentially facing. Her last encounter with the Beasts had almost taken her life, and the prospect of facing one of them again was honestly, the most terrifying thing she could imagine.

"Attention all passengers, we are about to land on Melemele Island, please return to his seats and fasten your seatbelts."

The sudden voice over the intercom caused Anabel to jump suddenly, causing her Espeon to power up a psychic attack, ready to attack anyone who dared to threaten her trainer.

Taking a deep breath, Anabel gently stroked Espeon's back, starting at her neck, going all the way down to her tail.

"It's ok Espeon, I was just spooked. We'll be ok." Anabel soothed, though she seemed to be talking more to herself than anything.

"Here we go again."

* * *

"I have a Lugia…"

Ash was in complete and utter shock over this newest development. Even all the strange happenings that had happened to him over the weekend couldn't have prepared him for this. One of the eggs he had been given, and entrusted to by the Legendary of Life, had hatched into a Lugia.

Speaking of the Lugia, it would seem the young Legend was looking around curiously, taking in the local surroundings with wide eyes. It had a body which was roughly a meter long, with a neck which added another half a meter to its length, and a tail which was just under a meter long. And its wing-span, even when folded up, looked absolutely massive.

And the scary thing was, Ash knew from experience that this was nowhere near as big as they could get. Not even close.

But it would seem that the baby Lugia had just spotted Ash, as the young Sea Guardian's eyes lit up as they landed on Ash.

Which was the warning that Ash got before the (not so little) baby Legendary punched on him, bowling him over and proceeding to nuzzle his cheek.

Misty, noticing the commotion, decided to come over to see what shenanigans Ash was involved in now.

"Ash, what are you doing? Come on, we all want to talk to, oh my Arceus! IS THAT A LUGIA?!" Misty finished with a screech, her voice raising by several octaves as she recognised the baby Legendary.

Ash tried to respond, but was promptly glomped again, with the only verbal response for Misty being a content coo as the little Lugia continued to show its affection for Ash.

This caught the attention of everyone else, who had been in the middle of bombarding Paul with questions, so they began to make their way over to where Ash was. Only to see him on the floor with some strange Pokémon on top of him.

Kiawe was the first to react.

"Hey, is that another Pokémon from Ash's eggs? Can't say I know that type of Pokémon honestly, Professor?"

But Kukui was too pre-occupied, as he was one of the few Alola natives who recognised the incredibly rare and powerful Pokémon that was currently nuzzling Ash like a parent. And the sight made his throat dry.

"…Lu, Lugia…" Kukui eventually stammered out, leaving his students especially confused.

"Lugia?" Lillie asked somewhat worryingly, not liking the fact that the Professor, their main guide on foreign Legendaries apart from Ash, was completely in shock. And that Misty, an old friend of Ash's, was also standing there with her mouth hanging open like a Magikarp.

After a minute of being practically squashed by the Diving Pokémon, Ash was able to sit up enough to answer her.

"Lugia is the Legendary guardian of the sea, or at least that's their main job. I've met a few at this point."

This caused the Alola crew's eyes to widen, as they realised that they were in the presence of **another** Legendary. Even Paul, who was somewhat aware of the fact that Ash had a history of dealing with Legendaries (and having not bat an eyelid at his use of Latias in their battle), was gobsmacked at the sight of the dinosaur-esque Pokémon.

Just what kind of life did this guy live?

But as they stared in shock, Ash managed to lift up the Lugia with both of his arms (which somewhat added to the shock of everyone watching, since the baby wasn't exactly a small or light looking) and turned to address them.

"Hey, I'd hate to be awkward, but can we heard somewhere to get Lugia checked out? We were at the lab when Absol was born so it was alright, but I just want to get..." Ash started before stopping himself when he thought to himself briefly.

"I don't even know what gender this Lugia is." He muttered to himself, before carrying on what he was saying to the others.

"I just want to get Lugia checked out at the PokéCentre real quick." Ash summed up. And with that, he turned and began to carry the Lugia to the PokéCentre, with Pikachu and Absol following closely behind.

Smiling to herself, as she realised that Ash had managed to take a Lugia being hatched without so much as a second take and was more concerned with its health than anything else, Misty just chuckled to herself before breaking out into a jog.

"Oi, wait up, you can't just walk away from us with a baby Legendary like it's not a big deal! Oi, KETCHUM!"

And with that, everyone was knocked out of their stupor and were soon running after Ash with smiles on their faces.

Afterall, for Ash, this was just another weekend.

* * *

Arceus was currently overlooking the Alola region from her throne in the Hall of Origin, taking in the sight of the four Islands. And they were beautiful.

Arceus had always been somewhat proud of the work she put into Alola, as it was a beautiful region. Watched over carefully by the Guardian deities, and guarded by the Cosmic duo, it served as a paradise to many Pokémon.

But there was a dark secret about the Alola region, one which only the Legendaries of the world who were charged with its protection knew. And even then, some of the more inexperienced ones such as the joyful Latias of Altomare weren't filled in on this.

And if Arceus had any say in the matter, it would stay like that. The last thing she needed was someone like the Chosen One finding out. There was too much at stake for him to be involved.

Not this time.

Arceus then sensed a presence behind her, but she didn't address them at first, instead choosing to collect herself before speaking.

After a brief moment of calming herself, something she rarely had a chance to do during these chaotic moments, she finally addressed the presence behind her.

" **Salutations, Yveltal. I trust you are well?"**

Yveltal, the Legendary embodiment of death and the Destruction Pokémon, was simply standing there with his wings folded inward, looking stoically towards the Alpha Pokémon.

"Indeed, I am well. I also came as ordered, what may I do for you today?" Yveltal addressed politely, bowing slightly as he spoke.

" **I was wondering if you could update me on the situation with the Chosen One. I understand that he was recently visited by your sister, yes?"**

Yveltal nodded before he spoke again.

"Indeed, she was the last one to give him a gift yesterday, if I recall correctly. She gave him a bunch of eggs as his gift, to represent new life. Or something like that, as I'd imagine she'd say."

Arceus nodded to herself, pleased with this.

" **You wouldn't happen to know what Pokémon were in those eggs, would you? I'm curious to see what the next generation of champions for the Chosen One are."** Arceus admitted.

But to her disappointment, Yveltal shook his head.

"I'm afraid I do not, for my sister is often vague and elusive with how she thinks. All I know, is that all the Pokémon within those eggs are blessed to be naturally stronger than most Pokémon."

Arceus looked thoughtfully to herself, then nodded her approval.

" **Good, the Chosen One will need more powerful champions in the future,"** Arceus stated before chuckling slightly. **"But knowing the Chosen One, he wouldn't care either way."**

Finally turning to face Yveltal, she carried on.

" **And what of the status of other gift bearers?"**

"I believe that the Chosen One's day has started with the Lake Trio delivering their gifts. And as far as I know, they have given him blessings based on their main attribute. The specifics I am not aware of. Also, I've been informed by Rayquaza that he going to be in the Alola region today."

This caught Arceus by surprise, causing her to raise her brow slightly.

" **I was not aware that Rayquaza had already prepared his gift."** Arceus said thoughtfully, as she tried to recall the progress that the Sky-High Pokémon had made in his gift preparation, only to be interrupted by Yveltal.

"He hasn't, or at least not yet. He's going there to act as a mediator for Groudon and Kyogre, while they deliver **their** gifts." Yveltal corrected quickly.

Satisfied with this, Arceus then proceeded to look Yveltal in the eye.

" **And what of YOUR gift? How are the preparations coming?"**

This caused Yveltal to shift slightly uncomfortably, putting weight on each foot and then alternating to the other.

"Its… coming along. When you asked me to do this, I had to admit, I was shocked. It was certainly an… interesting request. I hope you know that I'm only agreeing to this because it is for the Chosen One." Yveltal reported, while also occasionally glancing away from Arceus' stern gaze.

" **And it will be done within the week, like we agreed?"** Arceus asked again, not letting up her gaze.

Yveltal just nodded, still avoiding her intent gaze.

"Yes, it will be done. Even though I am still somewhat opposed to breaking the rules of nature again. Even when I ran it past the Dusknoirs responsible for helping me arrange this gift, they were strongly opposed to it. I hope you know what you're doing."

Arceus nodded again, before turning back to where she was gazing over the Alola region.

" **I hope so as well. But the Chosen One must be taught. The Chosen One must be protected from what's to come."**

And with that, she tightly closed her eyes.

" **He must be protected… from them!"**

* * *

Ash was waiting patiently in the PokéCentre while his team of Pokémon and his baby Lugia were checked over by the Nurse Joy.

He was currently chatting with Misty and catching her up with all the things that he had done since he last saw her, and the reason for his current stay in Alola. He also filled her in on what had happened over the last few days, from the appearance of his Pokémon in Alola, the sudden Legendary appearances, and even the specific reasons for why he was being visited by these various creatures.

Everyone else was also listening intently, enjoying hearing Ash recall the recent events in a somewhat exaggerated manner, when he was suddenly called by Nurse Joy.

"Mr Ketchum? Your Pokémon are ready for collection now."

Getting up with Pikachu on his shoulder now, and followed shortly by Absol, Ash went over to the counter of the PokéCentre where seven Pokéballs now resided.

"Hey, so how is everyone?" Ash asked when he got to the counter, his concern bleeding through into his words.

"Well, your main team is mostly fine, just a little tired. So long as they don't have any more big battles today, they should be perfectly fine."

"And Lugia?"

This caused the Nurse to hesitate somewhat, before she composed herself and carried on.

"As much as I'm not an expert on the Legendary Pokémon, I did what I could, and I can tell you the basics. This Lugia is a female, has the ability Multiscale, and is in perfect health." Joy informed, with a reassuring smile.

Satisfied by this, Ash collected the Pokéballs and put them back on his belt before walking back to the others. But before he could reach them, he was cut off by a small explosion, causing smoke to fill the communal area.

"Prepare for trouble."

"And make it double."

"Not this again…" Ash muttered to himself. He was too use to this by now, that it wasn't even funny. That was when he came up with an idea. So, with a smirk, he turned towards Pikachu.

"Hey Pikachu, why don't we show them your new powers, eh?" He whispered, causing Pikachu's face to light up, and then turn into an evil looking smirk.

But before either of them could put their plan into action, Absol leaped forward, charging up an attack on her horn. Not wasting any time, not even allowing Team Rocket to finish their motto, she unleashed the Night Slash attack into the smoke, resulting in an explosion followed by a satisfying yelp from the bumbling trio.

"Hey, we didn't even finish our motto you damn brat!"

"Yeah, at least respect the motto!"

And with that, they started shouting obscenities, while Misty made her way over to Ash.

"These idiots still follow you? It's been five years, when will they give up?" Misty asked with a gobsmacked look on her face.

"Honestly, I've been thinking the same thing for a while now. I think I'm never gonna be rid of them."

Pikachu however, was feeling very proud. His little girl had just jumped in and shut the Rockets up without hesitation. And it was done so well, he so was proud. He was feeling a little emotional.

But that happy feeling was suddenly shattered when a Shadow Ball suddenly flew from the smoke, smacking Absol in the chest and sending her flying back.

And Pikachu saw red.

As Mimikyu strode forward, with the intent to kill Pikachu and all those who tried to stop him, Pikachu suddenly darted forward from Ash's shoulder, charging up an Iron Tail and shattering the floor where Mimikyu was just standing, who only just managed to avoid it.

Mimikyu then took this opportunity to launch another attack, but Pikachu batted it aside with an aggressive swiss of his tail.

Now thoroughly angry, Pikachu began charging up an attack. He was not letting anyone, least of all this crazed Pokémon, from hurting his child and get away with it. And with that, he launched a supremely powerful Thunderbolt which caused the very ground he stood on to crack under the force of his own power.

The Thunderbolt smacked into Mimikyu, forcing him back into the Rockets before the powerful blast exploded, sending them all flying into the distance.

"Well that went well."

"Better than our last attempt."

"That's not really saying much."

"But still, at least this time we have some dignity while we shout:"

"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

And with that, Pikachu took a deep breath of relief. Being an overprotective parent was tiring.

But before he could relax, he and everyone present, from Ash, to Misty, to Paul, to the Alolan crew, was startled by the sudden sound of a lot of people running around in terror.

Walking around outside, they saw that the entire town was in an uproar, running around in a crazed panic. Apparently, something was happening today. And chances were, it had something to do with Ash.

Paul, not being one to beat around the bush, stepped in front of one of the panicking citizens.

"What's going on?"

"There's a bunch of Legendaries on the beach! It's the end times!" The citizen screeched in hysteria, before running off again.

Turning to Ash, Paul pointed a finger towards him.

"I think they're here for you Ketchum." Paul drawled, apparently already use to this madness.

Ash, however, could only chuckle.

"Never a dull moment." And with that, he ran off to the beach, to try and placate the Legendaries before they came looking for him.

* * *

Hey everyone, TWoS here.

Sorry for the somewhat shorter chapter, I've not been feeling as productive recently. I know that this is a pretty bland chapter, but one which was quite necessary. There were a few story elements that I needed to include to push the plot forward, as I needed to set up a few important things. Hopefully you enjoyed it anyway, and that it successfully sets up some hype for the future events in this story.

I know there wasn't a gift this chapter like I promised, but I felt that the story needed a moment to take a step back to collect itself, especially with the story elements I pushed forward. But I promise, the next one will start with a gift right off the bat. You can probably guess who's making an appearance, but what will their gift be? And who will appear next? As always, I'm eager to hear from you lot. Leave a review or send me a personal message, whichever you prefer, and let me know what you want to happen. Whether it be what Legendary appears, what gifts they bring, what character makes an appearance, or whatever; I'm eager to hear it.

As always, much love – TWoS.


	12. Chapter 12

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 12**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Hala was enjoying a nice hot cup of coffee, getting ready to start the day.

As much as he hated to admit it, his age was beginning to catch up with him. It took him longer to get out of bed in the mornings. It took him longer to feed all his Pokémon. And he found that he was becoming more and more reliant on coffee to wake himself up.

But he didn't mind, it was a part of life. He still had plenty of energy left in his old bones, it just took a little longer to get kick-started than it used to.

While he was nursing his coffee, he had decided to go through his emails. He had only managed to master the blasted thing a few months ago, so he tried his best to use it as routinely as possible to ensure he didn't forget it. And he did find it useful, since he got letters much quicker than he ever did when he was younger (although they're called 'emails' these days. Bloody kids and their fancy words), and having information available right at his fingertips was helpful.

'God, I sound old.' Hala chuckled to himself, before finishing his coffee with one big gulp and closed his laptop, deciding that he had spent enough time looking at a screen and made his way to the kitchen for another cup of coffee.

But as he walked towards the kitchen and past one of the windows, he noticed a blur of yellow out of the corner of his eye, stopping him in his tracks.

"I guess this is that kind of day." Hala sighed, quickly making himself another coffee before walking onto his balcony. As he opened the door, floating there in all his glory, was the guardian of Melemele Island; Tapu Koko.

"It's been a while, great Guardian. I haven't heard from you in several years. If it weren't for your recent interest in young Ash, I would have assumed you had been called into battle again by the Legends of other regions again." Hala grumbled to himself, not looking up from his coffee as he stirred it. Once he had stirred the coffee to his liking, he took a sip and finally looked up to address the lurking Tapu.

"So, what can I help you with?" Hala questioned.

At first, Tapu Koko did nothing, looking down at Hala intently, deep in thought about what he was going to say. After a few minutes, Tapu Koko nodded to itself before looking at Hala in his eyes.

" _Ash… Ketchum… trouble."_

This caused Hala to raise an eyebrow at the elusive Electric type.

'Why can't he ever just get to the point.' Hala chided mentally, before pushing that train of thought to the side.

"Oh yeah, I remember him. Good battler, you took a particular interest in his skills if I remember right. What about him is trouble, exactly?" Hala listed, trying to figure out what the Tapu was trying to get across. While he was thankful towards the guardian and was honoured to be the Kahuna, even he had to admit that the Tapu could be a bit vague when giving warnings.

" _Not… him… trouble… coming… prepare… now."_

Now this shocked Hala, leaving him feeling astonished.

"There's an attack coming? When, and what can I do to prepare?" Hala inquired, now sufficiently on edge. He had been Kahuna for several decades, and not once had he ever been ordered to prepare for trouble by the Tapus.

But Tapu Koko said nothing, instead turning and pointing to the beach where Professor Kukui's lab and home was, and then pointed to a nearby television, sending a small spark of electricity into it and switching it on. The television flickered to life, and finally settled on the local news channel.

"And there is panic in the streets as people run for their lives in an attempt to escape from the sudden appearance of THREE major Hoenn Legendaries. And my co-anchor, an expert on Hoenn mythology will now inform you more about them, Tom?" The first news anchor reported.

"Thanks Helen, and yes, we're dealing with a sudden appearance of the group of Legendaries commonly referred to as the 'Weather Trio', consisting of Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza. Whether their presence is a bad omen for our region, or a blessing in disguise, is yet to be determined." The second news anchor stated.

Hala simply blanched at this, as images came onto the screen showing the three mighty Legendaries loitering around the beach, with a small horde of Pokémon watching them intently, with attacks already charged up but being held back; as if they were simply waiting for a reason to unleash them. And Hala simply shook his head in shock.

"So, what do I do?" Hala questioned as he turned to Tapu Koko, only to find that he had disappeared, leaving only a small dark purple esque gem where he just was.

Hala walked over to the gem and picked it up, inspecting it intently before realising what Tapu Koko wanted him to do.

"Guess I need to go and visit the Professor and Ash today." Hala thought out loud, before finishing his coffee in one intense gulp before going back inside, now with a goal for the day.

* * *

As Ash made his way to the beach, pushing his way through the endless crowds of people who were determined to escape the so called 'Armageddon', he began reflecting on what was about to happen.

He was about to get another gift, from what must have been some of the more imposing Legendaries out there if the reactions from everyone else was any indication. And the fact that there were apparently MULTIPLE legendaries also made things worst. The only times he had dealt with multiple Legendaries at the same time usually resulted in a huge fight breaking out, which normally devastated the surrounding area.

So yeah, that was worrying enough.

And looking over at his group, he could tell that he was probably the calmest one there.

Lana was looking extremely worried, beads of sweat rolling down her face while trying her best to look determined, with Popplio visibly freaking out on Lana's shoulder. Kiawe was looking angry and determined, already tightly clutching onto a Pokéball so hard that his knuckles were turning white. Lillie looked terrified, the realisation that they were running **towards** very powerful and temperamental Legendaries, and even Snowy was shaking in her arms. Mallow was staying close to Ash, having already realised that being behind him was probably the safest place when dealing with these Legendaries. And Sophocles… actually, Ash couldn't tell what Sophocles was feeling, mostly because he was simply struggling to keep up with the group.

The others, however, were looking better. Paul looked determined, but at the same time curious, the opportunity to see such powerful Pokémon not being missed by him. Misty looked excited, the opportunity to experience the kind of adventure that she used to have with Ash being too good to be nervous about. And Absol had been looking nervous, but Pikachu had transitioned from Ash's shoulder to her back, helping to reassure her somewhat. And Pikachu was just use to this kind of nonsense at this point.

Finally making their way to the beach, Ash finally got a glimpse of the Legendaries that he was dealing with. And honestly, it wasn't reassuring.

There, on the verge of starting a fight with one another, were the physical embodiment of the very forces of nature itself. In the ocean, creating a small maelstrom around it, was Kyogre, the creator and protector of the oceans. And on the land, basked in bright sunlight (and somehow being the only one basked in said sunlight) and glaring up a storm at Kyogre, was Groudon, the riser and former of the land. And in between the two of them, looking extremely agitated and exasperated, was Rayquaza, the guardian of the sky, and the only one of the trio who Ash felt somewhat comfortable being around.

Looking back at his group, Ash saw a sense of dread wash over his group of friends, as they realised just what Legendaries they were now dealing with. Misty and Paul were now on guard, drawing out Pokéballs and getting ready to throw them, Kiawe and Sophocles were reeling in shock, Mallow and Lillie were practically shivering in fear, and Lana was just as shocked (even though there was a slight glimmer in her eye as she focused on Kyogre). But the one who most afraid was Pikachu.

"Oh God, not again. Ash, you have to ensure he doesn't posses me again. I'm not being his puppet again, I don't want to get involved in **another** Legendary fight. I've had my damn fill." Pikachu rambled out, proceeding to jump into Ash's bag, trying his best to avoid the gaze of the warring Legendaries. Leaving Absol in amazed confusion.

"He was possessed by one of the Weather Trio? What?"

But before Absol could get her question answered, the Trio of Legendaries noticed Ash, and began to move towards him.

Much to the horror of everyone standing behind him.

But before they could get near him, Ash was suddenly swarmed by his Pokémon, all of them shielding him with their bodies and charging up attacks.

This managed to stop the advancing Legendaries, but also seemed to annoy two of them.

"FOOLISH CHAMPIONS OF THE CHOSEN ONE! WE ARE NOT HERE FOR A CHALLENGE! IF WE WERE, WE WOULD HAVE INCINERATED YOU!" Groudon roared out with enough force to create a gust of wind powerful enough to push the smaller Pokémon back a few inches. But before he could continue, Rayquaza slapped him around the back of his head with his tail.

"QUIET YOU GIANT FOOL! WE ARE HERE TO DELIVER A GIFT, NOT ANGER AND CHALLENGE HIM!" Rayquaza scolded, before turning directly to Ash.

"My apologies Chosen One, these two are as mature as infants, yet posses the power to change the shape of the Earth. They're a constant headache, and it never goes away." Rayquaza elaborated, trying his best to represent the two childish Legendaries.

This attempt at trying to calm everyone down worked somewhat, since Pikachu began poking his head out from Ash's bag, feeling somewhat more relaxed now that he knew that Rayquaza seemed to be acting as a mediator for the two temperamental Legendaries.

However, Rayquaza's voice also managed to draw Latias out of her Pokéball.

" _Lord Rayquaza?"_ Latias questioned, before noticing that Groudon and Kyogre were also present.

But this realisation was overshadowed by the visible double-take the trio had when she appeared.

"Young Latias? You followed through with your plan?" Kyogre questioned, with a hint of shocked yet impressed tones in his voice.

Blushing at being the centre of attention, Latias simply shrunk back behind Ash, bringing the attention back onto him.

"Ah yes, the gifts for the Chosen One, allow me to present your gift from myself first." Kyogre prepositioned, causing Groudon to visibly get angry at the fact that Kyogre was giving his gift first, charging up a Solarbeam until Rayquaza glared at him, and absorbed the charged-up power.

Giving Groudon a smug look, Kyogre turned toward Ash, hovering towards him on a controlled cloud of water. He then focused somewhat, closing his eyes as he channelled his power through his body, causing the red lines on his body to glow with untapped power. The power then began to focus and swirl just in front of Kyogre's mouth, before turning into a small ball.

This ball then began to glow, before turning into a Royal Blue colouring, and it then descending into Ash's waiting hands.

As soon as he got hold of it, Ash began inspecting it intently, looking over it. It was a small sphere, no bigger than a tennis ball, but was practically radiating power. Besides being a similar Royal Blue to Kyogre, it also seemed to possess the same symbol that Kyogre had on his body printed onto it.

As a matter of fact, it sort of reminded him of the Blue Orb that possessed Pikachu.

Something that Pikachu remember quite well.

"AH! BLUE ORB! I'M OUT!"

And with that, Pikachu leaped backwards, onto the back of Charizard and began charging up an attack. Much to Charizard's (and Groudon's) amusement.

"Worry not, that is not the same Blue Orb which you are unfortunately familiar with. That, is a Blue Marble, which contains a fraction of the power that the Orb possesses. The reason I feel this is an appropriate gift, is because of the properties that it bestows onto someone who holds onto it."

Waving one of his flippers towards Ash's Pokémon, Kyogre continued.

"If one of your Pokémon would volunteer, preferably not a Water type, I will explain how it works."

This caused the majority of Ash's Pokémon to share concerned looks, having heard the story behind Pikachu possession by the Blue Orb in Hoenn. However, out of sheer curiosity, Donphan stepped forward, eliciting a smile from Kyogre.

"Excellent, if the Chosen One would just hand the Blue Marble over."

Looking once at the Marble in his hand, and once at the Ground type he had raised from an egg, Ash somewhat reluctantly handed the small globe over.

The moment he did however, the Marble glowed intently, dissolving into Donphan's trunk. As soon as it was fully absorbed, blue lines began appearing across Donphan's body, in very much the same pattern as Kyogre's, before causing his eyes to glow blue, much to everyone's shock.

And that was the last straw for Pikachu.

"I WON'T LET YOU CONTROL MY FRIEND!" He shouted with barely controlled rage, before firing a charged-up Thunderbolt with enough power to rip up the ground that was a few meters below it towards Kyogre, only to be countered by a Hyper Beam from Rayquaza. The two massive attacks clashed against one another, before the Thunderbolt began overwhelming the Hyper Beam, causing both attacks to explode with enough force to knock the Alola crew off their feet.

This caused the rest of the Pokémon in Ash's family to begin charging up attacks as well, willing to fight the Gods themselves to save their family member, before they were stopped by Ash's raised hand.

"Guys, it's alright. Look at Donphan." Which everyone then did. And they were shocked.

There, was Donphan, covered in the lines that were the mark of Kyogre, but he seemed completely fine. He was still acting normal, if somewhat confused, and seemed in control of his actions.

Seeing that they were calming down, Kyogre began explaining himself.

"As you can see, the Marble does the same to the host physically as the Orb but has a completely different end result. You see, right now, a portion of my power is running through that Pokémon's body, and is enhancing everything about that Pokémon's capability to battle. If you could launch an attack, please?"

Nodding slightly, Donphan began charging up a Hyper Beam, and then fired it at a nearby rock, with the beam cleaving straight through it. But it didn't stop there.

The beam kept going, tearing a large gorge through the beach, before hitting a cliffside with enough force to shake the entire rockface.

This caused everyone present to stare blankly at Donphan.

"As you can see, the Blue Marble has greatly enhanced his strength, while also showing that this is a sliver of what I'm capable of." Kyogre boasted, clearly happy with how impressed everyone was with his gift.

This was when Groudon ran out of patience, and stormed forward, with a similar sphere already made.

"Yes, well, as much as you may be impressed by his little gift, just know that he stole that idea from me, which was WHY HE WANTED TO GO FIRST!" Groudon shouted, sending threatening glares toward Kyogre who simply shrugged at the Continent Pokémon. Much to Rayquaza's displeasure.

"Children. Literal children. That's who I work with." Rayquaza muttered.

This was when Groudon presented a red version of the sphere that Donphan had just absorbed.

"This, is the Red Marble, and is the superior version of the two. Not only does it do everything that Kyogre's weak Marble can do, but it also grants the Pokémon who wields it the Fire type, so long as they don't already have it."

This caused Kyogre to instantly get angry at the explanation, causing him to round on Groudon.

"FOOL! MY MARBLE IS NOT INFERIOR TO YOURS, IT ALSO BENEFITS THE WATER TYPE, THE MORE POWERFUL TYPE, TO THE POKÉMON USING MY MARBLE AS WELL, YOU JUST PREVENTED ME FROM SAYING THAT!" Kyogre challenged, causing Groudon to turn towards him.

But before he could retort, Rayquaza slapped Kyogre, HARD.

"Just get it over with, so I can go home." Rayquaza complained, already having enough of his fellow trio.

Nodding in agreement, Groudon then turned and focused on Ash.

"Summon your ground types, I have a second part of the gift to bestow."

Ash, who was at a loss for words at the childishness of the two major Legendaries (one of the strange side effects of understanding Pokémon, apparently), simply nodded and waved his ground types forward. And while his other ground types stepped forward, Donphan focused internally and allowed the Blue Marble to disconnect from his body and passed it to Ash.

Now, Donphan, Torterra, Gliscor, Garchomp, Seismitoad, and Krookodile stood before the mighty Ground type, watching intently as he glowed. That glow, then split into six separate lights, before heading to each of the Ground types, basking them in the glow briefly before dissipating.

"And now, I have bestowed the knowledge of Precipice Blades upon your Ground types. I would also give them a power up like Zekrom did for your Champion Pikachu, but to do so for so many Pokémon would be a violation of nature." Groudon explained, before Kyogre laughed heartily at him.

"Only six bestowed with the knowledge? HAH! Would all the Water types step forward?"

And as a result, Squirtle, Totodile, Kingler, Corphish, Buizel, Oshawott, Seismitoad (again), Lapras, and Greninja stepped forward, and proceeded to undergo the same process.

"And now, NINE Pokémon have been bestowed with Origin Pulse, my unique move. Use this knowledge wisely."

"IS THAT A CHALLENGE? BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR TOUNGE, LEST I RIP IT OUT!"

But before they could start fighting, Rayquaza hit the both of them with a Hyper Beam.

"THAT'S IT! WE'RE DONE! YOU'VE GIVEN YOUR GIFTS, NOW WE'RE LEAVING. OR SO HELP ME ARCEUS, I WILL SLAUGHTER THE BOTH OF YOU!"

And so, with heads lowered in shame, the two Legendaries turned to the ocean, and began making their individual ways home. Content that they wouldn't try to start trouble, Rayquaza then turned to Ash one last time.

"Apologies for those two, they're such a hassle. I will be seeing you again in the near-future when my gift is ready, Chosen One." And with a courteous bow, Rayquaza then darted into the sky, leaving the once chaotic beach calm and serene once again.

After the dust had settled, Misty stepped toward Ash and tapped him on the shoulder.

"So, could you explain exactly what just happened please? We're a bit lost."

* * *

Meanwhile, across the globe, in the far-off region of Hoenn, there was a young fifteen-year-old teenager in a dressing room. She was preparing for contest, where she would show off her Pokémon in a display of beauty and grace. She was just preparing her hair when someone popped their head into the dressing room.

"Miss Serena, just as a reminder, your performance is due to start in five minutes. Please make sure you and your Pokémon are ready."

Turning to address the contest assistance, Serena simply smiled at her.

"Don't worry, I just need to finish my hair and I'll be ready." She explained, which seemed to satisfy the assistant as she pulled her head back from the door.

As Serena turned back to the mirror to finish brushing her hair, she quickly glanced over at her outfit she was using for this contest. Since she was planning on using her Pancham for this contest, she had created a special outfit to go with the routine. She had created a dress which was simultaneously reminiscent of a Gi, with the styling being like the traditional white Gi with Black Belt that people thought of when they thought of 'Martial Arts', while still being a flowing dress. It would work quite nicely with her martial arts-based routine.

After finishing her fair, and double-checking she had her Pokéballs on her belt, she decided to apply a quick final touch to her makeup as a final touch. But as she got the foundation out of her bag, she noticed a bright light appear behind her in the mirror.

Putting down her makeup, Serena gingerly turned around, only to see a flash of white.

Her scream echoed throughout the entire building, causing the assistant that had just checked in on her, along with the building's security, barged into her dressing room. But by the time they got there, all that they were greeted with was an empty room, and a discarded foundation set.

* * *

Yo everybody, TWoS here.

Yes, I'm not dead. I've just been stupidly busy over the last few weeks. Uni has been hell for me. Either I'm constantly doing coursework, or I'm just plain knackered so I haven't been able to do as much for my stories as I'd like. But the deadlines have died down, so I've got more free time now; as evidence by this chapter. Speaking of the chapter, I hope you enjoyed it, it started off a bit slow, but it turned into a real joy to write.

So, I included gifts, like I said I would, from Legendaries you probably saw coming from the last chapter. But who would you like to see next? Would you like to see one of the Legendaries I've already mentioned in the story, or one who hasn't got any love yet? Either send me a PM or a review and I'll see what I can do.

Now, I want to make a little bit of a request from you lot. I'm trying to become a writer, and I want to improve as much as I can before I write my own stuff. So, what I'd like you lot to do, if you don't mind, is to tell me what you think of my writing. Whether it's good, bad, unprofessional, professional, something you'd see from a novel, something you cringe at when you read; just let me know what you think. It'd be greatly appreciated if you can give me some feedback on that, so I know where to improve. Thanks in advance for all the help.

As always, much love – TWoS.


	13. Chapter 13

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 13**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Pikachu was currently nursing a nice hot cup of hot chocolate as he was still coming down from his minor panic attack.

Everyone was still recovering from the latest legendary event they had just experienced, with Ash filling everyone else in on what the loud roars that were just echoing across their beach-side home actually meant. Pikachu, however, just wanted to relax from his Orb induced PTSD trip. God, he hated those Orbs.

And now Ash had two of them just for his own personal use.

Great…

Shaking his head at this, he took another sip of his hot chocolate and looked over at the group of Pokémon who were now celebrating their new-found powers, jumping up and down in a giddy manner while sprouting a crazed look in their eyes.

Especially Oshawott. Oshawott looked like he was going to pass out from excitement.

"That was an interesting display."

Pikachu jumped from the sudden voice behind him, almost dropping his cup as he whirled around to face the newcomer. He calmed down when he saw that it was just Charizard, who was still cradling his egg in his left arm, and Meganium's in his right.

"You're telling me. This is certainly a weekend to remember." Pikachu sighed, sitting back down heavily. Charizard simply nodded and sat alongside him.

"So, how'd the battle go?" He questioned, craning his neck down to look at the little mouse.

Pikachu chuckled to himself a little bit, scratching his side while he collected his thoughts.

"It was an experience, certainly one of Ash's better battles. We won four to two, and Meganium even learnt a new move. All in all, pretty decent experience. Little bummed I couldn't get a round in, but oh well." Pikachu answered, thinking over the recent battle's finer details and analysing them mentally. The memory of Swellow throwing around Gliscor, to the clash of the heavyweights, to the showdown between Infernape and Electivire flashing briefly in his mind's eye before he shook his head to clear them.

Charizard just whistled in appreciation though.

"Sounds like you lot had a lot of fun. Anything else happen that's worth noting?"

Pikachu was about to answer when Meganium came strolling towards Charizard, a pair of vines already outstretched towards him, with the tips slowly going back and forth in a 'hand it over' gesture.

Nodding to show his understanding, Charizard passed her egg back to her, causing her to coo affectionately as she pulled the egg towards her and began nuzzling it affectionately, to Pikachu's amusement.

"You know, thinking of eggs, that's something that needs to be addressed." Pikachu muttered aloud, turning to where Ash and the other gathered humans were and began running over to them. Once he got there, he quickly grabbed one of the Pokéballs from his belt and ran back towards Charizard and Meganium, who seemed to be discussing something to do with the eggs (and based on the threatening gesture Charizard was making, Pikachu would bet that they were discussing how best to teach fighting technique for when their eggs hatched).

Deciding to ignore them, we went straight past them and towards Bulbasaur, who was watching over the other Pokémon to ensure they didn't cause any trouble while Ash was occupied with the other humans while gently swaying his egg in the air with his vines, like he use to do with Togepi.

"Oi Bulbasaur, can you get everyone here please, we've got something that needs to be addressed, now." Pikachu informed quickly, wanting to get this done with as quickly as possible. They had a lot to deal with as it was, and chances were in a few hours they were gonna have to deal with a different Legendary showing up and giving hem grief.

Which was something to look forward to.

Looking confused for a brief moment, but then shrugging it off, Bulbasaur nodded and began charging up a Solarbeam. After a few seconds, he fired the beam straight up into the sky, gaining the attention of all the nearby Pokémon.

Excluding the Alolan Pokémon, Absol, and the Legendaries, the large group of Pokémon began converging on Bulbasaur, recognising the beam as a signal to gather round him. The newer Pokémon in Ash's family decided to follow them to Bulbasaur, since they seemed to know what was going on.

Satisfied that everyone was now gathered, he turned to Pikachu and nodded, giving him the 'go ahead'.

Nodding to himself, Pikachu decided to jump on top of the tallest Pokémon present (which was on Snorlax's head, who was surprisingly awake and active), and cleared his throat.

"Alright everyone, I know a lot of crazy stuff has been happening recently, what with all the Legendaries showing up and what not." Pikachu broadcasted to the gathered group, gaining some agreeing nods from the crowd.

"But despite this, we need to keep on top of what's happening, and keep each other up to date. So, with that in mind, I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family. And fair warning, this one is a doozy." Pikachu announced, before throwing the Pokéball he was holding into the air.

While still airborne, the ball exploded in a burst of white light, which darted down towards the ground in the centre of the group before taking on the shape of a bird like dinosaur. The light swirled around the shape for a few seconds before dissipating, leaving the baby Lugia in place.

Now that she was out of her Pokéball, the little Lugia began stretching her neck, before she noticed the vast collection of Pokémon that was surrounding her and looking at her with wide eyes. At first, she began curling in on herself, not sure who all these strange new people were, until she looked in the direction of the fat one and saw the friendly little mouse from earlier looking down at her with an amused grin.

Happy that she found someone she recognised, she stretched her wings out and flapped them hard, taking flight and darting to Pikachu.

"UNCLE!" She cried out, knocking Pikachu over and curling her neck around him affectionately. This, however, was the straw that broke the Camerupt's back, and it was Squirtle who broke the silence.

"Wait just a damn minute, since when did we have a Lugia as part of the team?" Squirtle cried out indignantly, the shock of it seeping in. His minor hysteria was beginning to seep into the minds of the other Pokémon as well, mostly the younger, more impressionable ones who were still not quite use to the idea of having Legendaries as a part of their rag-tag group.

Even Latias was starting to be freaked out over the sight of one of a baby Lugia, which had the potential to be a Pokémon which watched over the Earth. The fact that Ash had been entrusted with the youth, was remarkable.

The Lugia, however, had now noticed all these Pokémon were now criticising and watching her with critical eyes, unnerving her and causing her to hide behind her uncle, until the Absol, who she believed was her uncle's offspring and her cousin, came over.

The Absol looked her over, taking in every detail of the young Legendary, before lowering her head in greeting.

"Greetings, noble one. It is a pleasure to get this chance to meet you. I am Absol, spawn of Pikachu, and a training Champion for the Chosen One." Absol addressed, attempting to greet the noble Legendary.

Who promptly overlooked the entire posh greeting.

"Hi! It's nice to meet you cousin." She gushed, jumping up from behind Pikachu to throw herself at Absol, wrapping her wings around her affectionately.

Sceptile, who was watching the entire exchange with interest, could only snigger to himself.

"Legendary or not, she's still just a kid."

* * *

Lusamine read through the report again, scrutinising every small detail as she walked to Faba's lab.

Another Ultra Beast incursion had happened, and she wanted to know everything about it, it's location, it's type, and what happened. She needed to know.

Looking over the preliminary reports, she could tell that it was a single Beast incursion, and that it only happened for a brief moment before disappearing again. Exactly why this was the case was anybody's guess, which was something that she wanted to change dearly. She had to understand her precious babies better.

As she entered the lab, she saw her chief scientist combing over some more data, clearly trying to keep himself occupied while waiting for her appearance. To make her presence known, she tapped her foot loudly against the floor, louder than necessary.

Startled, Faba almost dropped the tablet he was reading from, juggling it in an attempt to keep it from smashing on the floor. After a few seconds of this, he managed to collect himself enough to conduct himself with some sense of professionalism.

"Ah, President Lusamine. I'm glad you could be here today."

This caused her to raise a brow in confusion. "I'm the president here, why wouldn't I be able to come here, exactly?" She questioned, tired of listening to her subordinate's babble.

Unfazed, Faba carried on.

"As you know we detected another Ultra Beast incursion, not too long ago. It was detected in Hoenn, in Fortree city, within their contest hall. Happened for approximately two minutes, and twenty-nine seconds, before closing up again. The Ultra Beast has been confirmed as UB 01 Symbiont, based on our findings."

Lusamine scowled at this, though, not liking that last piece of information.

"And what findings are those Faba? Did anyone see it?" She inquired, wanting to clear up all the loose ends.

This caused Faba to sweat likely, and to twiddle his thumbs over the tablet.

"Actually, there were no confirmed sightings, or at least, none by the remaining people."

Tilting her head to the side, Lusamine was extremely puzzled by this.

"Remaining?"

"Yes. You see, there was a contest scheduled to happen, and the incursion happened within one of the changing rooms, while a participant was preparing for her stage appearance. Once the incursion was over, she had disappeared."

This caused Lusamine to stroke her chin in thought, as she thought this over in her head. This was a new development, since the Ultra Beasts had never shown any interest in humans before. Normally, they'd show up, wander around, cause some damage, and then return through the portal. The Aether Foundation would then go through the extensive trouble to cover these incursions up, so wind of their happenings didn't get caught by the likes of the International Police or the many Professors across the globe.

But now they've changed their pattern and have actually abducted an individual. While there was always a common theory amongst her researchers about how the Beasts may have been explorers, or scouts; trying to discover what they could about us, and then return. But now they seem to be taking it up to the next step. This was sure to cause problems for them in the future.

"This is worrying Faba. We've suspected that they may have been learning about us for a while, but now they're getting aggressive. Prepare counter measures to deal with any rogue Ultra Beasts in the future. And ensure the detainment procedures are in place, we don't want to miss our chance to catch one of these creatures, now do we?"

And with that, she turned to return to her office, before Faba interrupted her.

"Oh yes, we also had an incursion on Melemele Island yesterday with multiple UB 02s appearing."

All Lusamine could do in response to do, was turn back to Faba, her eye twitching sporadically.

"I'm sorry, what..."

* * *

Litten was enjoying watching the large group of Pokémon while relaxing with his fellow Alolan residents. They were currently immersing the young Lugia that had hatched from Ash's leg into their group. Once they had gotten over the surprise of her appearance, they had begun to welcome her with welcome arms, with the way Pikachu and Absol interacted with her being the main catalyst.

Litten couldn't help but shake his head. He knew that Ash was an odd individual, and would undoubtedly have some odd Pokémon, which was something he had come to accept when he saw Ash's other Alolan catches. From the incredibly lazy Rowlet, who could fall asleep at any time, to the crazy Lycanroc, who could go from calm and collected to a battle starved maniac in a matter of seconds, and Ash's main partner, the absurdly powerful yet still somehow playful Pikachu.

And yet despite that, he wasn't ready for… this. Ash seemed to have collected the most insane, peculiar, and downright weird collection of friends he had ever seen. And if it weren't for the few cases of sane Pokémon who were simply just incredibly powerful, like the stupidly powerful Charizard and Infernape (both of whom Litten had been fanboying over since he got to meet them), Litten would have been worried for his own sanity.

Looking over his shoulder to where his fellow Alolan Pokémon were, he saw they were taking this in stride, or at least, in better stride than he was. Lycanroc was conversing with Pignite and was getting along with him quite well. Rowlett however, was just taking another nap. Apparently even the strange events involving the GODS THEMSELVES, was not enough to stop his random naps.

Typical.

However, he was getting some peace, which was the main thing he cared about right now. As he went to rest his head, the peace was disturbed by the sound of flapping wings.

'Oh, leave me alone.' Litten grumbled mentally, as he looked up towards the newcomer. And to his surprise, it was the young Lugia. And she seemed very energetic.

"Hi! I'm Lugia. It's nice to meet you."

Something that Litten didn't want to deal with.

"Err, hey. I'm Litten. That's about it." Litten stammered out, not really knowing how to interact with the bubbly youth. But that didn't seem to deter her.

"You seem really cool! Can we be friends?" She inquired, hopping closer to the small fire cat.

"Suuuurrreee," Litten agreed, while backing up somewhat to keep her out of his personal space, "I can't think of reason why not."

'Not through lack of trying though.' Litten admitted to himself.

"YAY!" Lugia shouted, before picking up Litten and crushing him with a bone-breaking hug with her wings.

And to add insult to injury, Litten began to hear a familiar laugh, from a stupidly powerful yellow mouse.

"I think we've found a babysitter for little Lu, think you can manage that Litten?" Pikachu called out cheekily, to which Litten could only mutter.

Litten didn't know how he ended up in this situation, but he must have done something awful in a past life to be here.

"You're gonna be my best friend." Lugia called out, before squeezing him even harder.

Mistakes were made.

* * *

On the outskirts of Nimbasa City, in the far-off Unova region, there was a lone trainer setting up camp, preparing to get some rest.

After setting up a tent and a fire, the trainer returned all but one of their Pokémon, with the remaining one being one of the largest ones in their possession. It was a mighty Mamoswine, a powerful Ice and Ground type which towered over its trainer.

The trainer didn't seem bothered by this, instead deciding to rummage through their bag, pulling out what could have been one of the largest hair combs known to man.

"Ok, Mamoswine, we need to get your hair sorted out before the next contest. The quicker we get it done, the sooner we can go to bed. So, no need to worry!"

The trainer in question, was a young girl, about thirteen years old, with well managed blue hair hidden underneath a beanie. She was wearing a black vest with a short pink skirt, with a special Pokétech watch on her wrist.

This was Dawn Berlitz, one of Ash's companions from Sinnoh, who was travelling around the Unova region.

While she sat down and began grooming her powerful Pokémon, a faint buzz began to fill the air. However, Dawn didn't take no notice of it; assuming it was just some local bug Pokémon turning in for the night.

It wasn't until she noticed a light coming from behind her that she began to worry.

Deciding to take a risk, she called out to the faint light.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

And to her surprise, something came out. While it wasn't the response she had wanted, the fact she got some kind of response was surprising enough. What was more surprisingly was WHAT had come out.

She assumed it was some kind of Pokémon, but it was unlike anything she had ever seen. But before she could pick out any discernible features, it darted forwards, crashing into Mamoswine with a powerful Head Smash, knocking Mamoswine flying into the distance, crashing into multiple trees before collapsing into a heap.

Dawn, in a panic, quickly returned the huge Pokémon, and went to call out another Pokémon when she suddenly felt something wrap around her legs.

Before she could react, she felt the ground suddenly get pulled away from her, and before she knew it, she was being dragged into the treeline where the light and buzzing had originated from, with her screaming the entire time. And then the buzzing stopped, and the light vanished

An hour or two later, a couple of trainers were walking through the area, only to find an abandoned campsite and the traces of a faint battle. Apart from that, it was as if there was never anyone here.

* * *

Hey everyone, TWoS here, and before you say it; yes, I'm not dead.

I'm really sorry with how long it took me to get this chapter out, and for the fact that it isn't that long. I wanted to do something longer much sooner, but I've been swamped with coursework. I'm in my last month and a half for this year, so I've got a lot of deadlines at the moment. Had to pull an all-nighter to get this chapter out. So, for that, I apologise. It also may be a while until I get another chapter out as well, so I hope you can be patient. Once my deadlines are done, I'll be able to dedicate more time to this story, so I hope you can wait till then.

Other than that, this is another chapter dedicated to pushing the story forward. I hope you enjoy it, and that it was worth the wait. I know you lot want more legendaries appearing, and I do as well, but there's so much to juggle that I have to really pace this story, or else I'd lose track of all the elements I've added. For example, the emphasis on little Lugia was because I had half forgotten about her in the previous chapter. So, I'm making up for that. If there's anything that you lot want to see, whether it's an interaction between certain Pokémon, certain Pokémon or characters to appear, or whatever you feel like: I'm more than open to a few suggestions.

As always, much love, and thanks for the enduring patience – TWoS.


	14. Chapter 14

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 14**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

"So yeah, that's the general gist of it. Any questions?" Ash concluded, as he quickly ran through what he just explained in his head to make sure he hadn't missed anything.

He probably had, but he couldn't tell, so he was going to carry on like he had explained everything.

Looking over at the gathered people, Ash couldn't help but be amazed at the situation he had found himself in. He was gathered in front of about half a dozen of his close friends (he wasn't sure whether or not to count Paul among that number, but he hadn't left yet; so, there _is_ that), explaining to them what had just happened regarding Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza.

The simple fact that Ash was the one who knew what was going on was concerning enough.

But for now, everyone seemed satisfied, so that was good at least.

Everyone had mixed looks on their faces as they considered the recent events and the new information they had attained on them. Misty seemed reflective, wondering what the long-term implications of this could be, because there were definitely going to be long term implications that would affect them _all_. Kiawe seemed concerned, his brow drooped low. He was most likely concerned for the safety of everyone present, feeling responsible for keeping them out of harm's way.

Lillie was clutching Snowy closely to her chest, her hands shaking as she slowly stroked her. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she was probably becoming increasing worried about how these events were escalating. Mallow and Lana were both sitting there, eyes distant and clouded with thought.

And Sophocles was on the verge of having a panic attack based on recent events.

Paul, stoic faced as ever, was the first to break the silence.

"So, they've given you your gift, explained what it was, then left? Interesting." He summarised, covering his mouth slightly as he mulled the events over. "Any idea of what happens next?"

Everyone peaked up at this, mostly due to the realisation that the day wasn't over yet. It had been a hell of a day, but it was barely late afternoon, and now they had to prepare for whatever happened next.

" _If I may interject?"_ A soft, yet unspoken voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention to the top of Ash's head.

Azelf, who had been keeping to herself, was, quite honestly, disheartened by Ash's companions.

Not their personalities, mind you; Azelf found most of them quite charming. The purpled hair rival was intriguing, the amount of will that he exuded during the battle against Ash was incredibly high; a clear sign of their intense rivalry and urge to best the other in a fair battle. The ginger haired one was clearly highly experienced with this, having barely batted an eyelid at her presence, or Mew's (who was currently dangling off the back of Ash's head, using her tail to stay anchored to him and her telekinesis to keep her afloat while she took a nap), or even the Weather Trio's. She was probably one of Ash's older friends. And the rest, who at a glance seemed inexperienced but greatly intrigued and curious; perfect companions and allies for the Chosen One.

No, it was their reactions to herself, her sisters, and the other Legendaries that concerned her most. To the world, people revered the Legendaries whenever they appeared. People would count their lucky stars to simply be in their presence, and their coming would be celebrated.

But here, with these kids, they were _afraid_. And not the self-preserving kind of fear which is natural when in the presence of such powerful being either, but genuine fear for their lives. Every one of them, including Ash himself (which was most surprising), had a slight twinge of fear in their souls, which they were trying their best to bury in the deep recesses of their minds, in order to cope with it appropriately.

And Azelf couldn't fathom it, she had to find out why.

" _Why exactly do you need to be so concerned about the appearance of more of my kin? You do realise we mean you no harm, correct?"_

No one said anything at first, just standing there with a pregnant silence filling the air. Some of them were shifting their weight from foot to foot, others were looking down at the ground, the slightest hint of guilt coating their faces, and even Paul was beginning to show slight traces of. And this tore Azelf's heart out.

What was possibly the worst part of this response though was Ash's reaction. He didn't say anything, but for the first time since Azelf had met him, there was no emotion on his face. Not the joyful glee that he was characteristically known for, nor the steadfast determination that he exhibited during a challenging battling, and not even the rare displays of rage that came forth during difficult times was present. He just stood there, looking truly lost and unsure what to think or say.

" _Are… are you afraid of us?"_ Azelf questioned hesitantly, afraid to hear his answer. Was the Chosen One afraid of them?

Ash finally perked up at this, looking directly at Azelf as she floated round in front of him, her focus on nothing else but his response.

"I… no. I'm not… afraid, exactly," Ash started, as he rubbed the back of his neck thoroughly, "It's more, I'm anxious about them. I don't think I've ever had an interaction with a Legendary which ended well. I'm always either attacked _by_ them, or by someone else who want to capture them." Ash finished, stepping back slightly to try and subtly escape Azelf's gaze.

However, this just brought him into the gaze of an increasingly concerned Latias.

" _But, you know that no Legendary would intentionally harm you, right?"_ She asked hesitantly.

Ash looked at her, a soft look gracing his face.

"I guess, but I never know for sure. I've had so many near death experiences now, and a few actual deaths as well. And most of those are tied into what happens when a Legendary gets involved." Ash explained, before looking up into the sky.

"Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change a thing, and I love being able to meet such rare Pokémon, but I can't help but feel afraid sometimes. It's just, so many Legendaries are so powerful, yet they are also so fragile, constantly at threat from someone or something. It's just hard to get use to." Ash carried on, before smiling slightly as he turned back to both Azelf and Latias, who looked extremely concerned.

"I don't blame you guys, or any of the other Legendaries for that matter. Fear is just one of those things that you can't control I guess. But that doesn't make it a bad thing, just something that happens in those kinds of situations. Like that feeling you get which pushes you on in an intense moment." He concluded, stepping forward to gently stroke the two somewhat anxious Legendaries to ease their nerves.

As they relaxed under his touch, with their previously tense muscles slowly unwinding, Misty stepped forward looking annoyed.

"Do you mean adrenaline? You bumbling idiot!" She shouted, leaning to within an inch of Ash's face.

Everyone broke out into laughter at this, the tense topic dropped for something much more light-hearted.

* * *

Meanwhile, a bit further down the beach, a small group of Ash's Pokémon had gone looking for a secluded area, and they had found it, near the mouth of a small cave.

"Oshawott, are you sure this is a good idea?" Scraggy asked ambivalently, as he observed the mouth of the cave, craning his neck to see the ceiling.

"Of course it is, why wouldn't it be?" The water type responded indignantly, strolling confidently towards the cave.

"Because not only are you involved," Servine started, lingering just behind Oshawott as she observed him, "you planned this little expedition. It's practically destined to go wrong."

"Agreed. You're a disaster magnet mate." Glalie said apologetically, as he floated along with them. They had scouted out this location after Oshawott said he had wanted to try something.

"I take offence to that." He replied quickly, before quickly running onto a rock. "Aha! This will work nicely."

The other lined up behind him, sitting down and getting comfortable for whatever antics that Oshawott had lined up for them. After a few moments of inspecting the rock, Oshawott nodded to himself before turning back to his rag-tag audience with a dramatic flair.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are gathered here today to bear witness to my _pure_ awesomeness!" He announced, trying to throw his voice to make himself sound louder but only succeeding in making his voice break.

Everyone just stared at him with a blank look, clearly unimpressed.

With sweat now beginning to form on his brow, Oshawott quickly coughed into his hand to try and help with his voice. But before he could successfully collect himself to continue his little show, he was interrupted by a strange, alien sound, which lacked natural coherence or sense.

"Yo, yo, yo! Look at these rare ting Pokémon man. We might be able to make a mint off these little buggers and buy some clean clothes."

Strolling out the cave, while performing some random and uncoordinated hand motions, came a trio of thuggish looking individuals, wearing bandanas over their faces, dirty beanies on their head, and ripped jumpers with Xs on them.

Servine, more out of shocked confusion than actual curiosity, was the first to respond.

"Who the hell are these clowns?"

"Dunno, they look like Team Rocket, if their budget ran out and they were five-year olds." Glalie commented coolly, amused at how the wannabes were strolling up to them with all the confidence in the world.

"Yo, our boy Guzma would find these Pokémon hella useful boys, we should grab them for the boss man and then we'll get on his good side." The shortest of them said, as he examined the foreign group of Pokémon.

"Yeah yeah yeah, that's a sick idea. Guzma would be so proud, he'd probably promote us!" The one on the back shouted, excitement beginning to flow through his veins.

While they were discussing this, Oshawott could feel a _very_ evil smirk begin to tug at the edge of his mouth, as a cruel yet fun idea began to formulate in his mind.

"Ok guys, I was gonna make a show out of this, but needs must, I'm doing it now." Oshawott informed before focusing intently.

When he had been giving the blessing by Kyogre, all Oshawott could feel was this strange welling of power, right in his chest. After asking the other water types who had been giving the blessing, he found that he was the only one who had it, and every time he tried to focus on it, all he got was a whispered name which darted at the edge of his thoughts.

But now, Oshawott was going to cut loose, he was going to unleash this power that was in his chest, and now he had a target.

Focusing intently on the power, Oshawott could feel as it began to spread through his body, with an icy presence that felt inescapable. As it pulsed through his body, half a dozen floating spheres of water began forming themselves around him, whirling with power as they slowly grew. After a few moments, each sphere was the size of Oshawott's head, and looked ready to burst as droplets of water began to cascade from them, ready to be unleashed.

With the attack suitably charged, Oshawott took a deep breath, before opening his eyes.

"ORIGIN PULSE!"

And with that, the spheres erupted, six powerful, unrelenting jets of pressurised water firing from them towards the Team Skull grunts.

Now, Origin Pulse is a powerful move, capable of levelling Islands when used by Kyogre. Now while Kyogre knew that the version of Origin Pulse that he had blessed onto Ash's water types wouldn't be that strong, they would still be something that possessed devastating power, and something that Kyogre forgot the move had.

Recoil.

Now, a more experienced battler, like Buizel or Squirtle, or a heavier water type, like Seismitoad or Lapras, wouldn't really have to worry about this since they're either more experienced or just hefty enough to withstand this recoil.

Oshawott was neither.

And so, when the move erupted into being, Oshawott was fired backwards, soaring straight past the small assembly of Pokémon behind him and straight into the beach, where he proceeded to dig a trench with his flying body.

The move, however, carried on uninterrupted, and hit the Team Skull grunts with such force, that not only were they blasted off, but they weren't even given an opportunity to say so.

"Well, that went better than I thought it was going to in all honesty." Servine muttered, wandering over to the trench that Oshawott had made.

As the others sniggered along with Servine, they failed to notice a glow that was beaming out of the end of the trench, briefly illuminating the area before dying back down.

As they made it to the end of the trench, Oshawott suddenly surged out of the dirt pile with renewed vigour, and they were shocked at what they saw.

"Oshawott, you… you've evolved!" Scraggy mumbled, before excitement began to flow through his veins.

"YOU'VE EVOLVED! THAT'S AMAZING!"

Oshawott, or Dewott, was now standing taller than he had previously, and with a new-found balance that he never possessed before. He now possessed a second scalchop to go with the first, and they looked sharper at ever.

Dewott looked down at his hands momentarily, before looking back at the others.

"That… was…" Dewott began, before a manic grin broke out on his face.

"AWESOME!"

* * *

In the Sinnoh region, in the silent, graceful fields, near Lake Acuity, there was a lone girl working with two of her Pokémon, perfecting their routine for the next contest in the nearby town.

The girl, a fourteen-year-old brunette, with a red ribbon tied into her hair with a matching top, was currently coaching her Venusaur and Blaziken in their latest attempt to impress the world with their fashion and talent.

"And one, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. Blaziken, keep in time with Venusaur, or the whole thing falls apart. And one, two, three, four." May instructed, watching over the two Pokémon as they practiced the motions for their new routine.

They were trying to show off their ability to work in tandem with one another despite being of completely different speeds and sizes, being able to work in sync through skill and cohesion. Though Blaziken was having a slight issue with keeping to the tempo.

But as they were doing that, the lake near where they had set up camp, which had become a mere background noise as the waves slowly rippled with the breeze, began to convulse, with large pulses of water beginning to pulse towards the shore, interrupting the practice.

"What the hell?" May questioned, as she began turning towards the disturbance.

As she focused on the spot of the Lake which was being distorted, she was then struck by a blow from behind, a sharp pain beginning to make itself known in her neck. Before she could reach up to feel the wound, she felt woozy, as her legs gave out from under her as all strength left her body.

She was unconscious before she hit the ground.

Blaziken reacted first, spinning round and instantly launching a powerful Overheat in the general direction where the attack had originated from. The trees surrounding them cracked and creaked under the force of the attack, before combusting into flames.

However, while their backs had been turned, the ripple that had been disturbing the lake had suddenly exploded outwards, creating a rip through the physical space around it. And through this rip, a blur came out and crashed into Blaziken was a Psycho Cut which knocked the fighting type flying.

The blur stopped momentarily, turning to observe the unconscious teenager. The blur was an odd creature and looked incredibly thin. Almost paper-thin, as if it was barely even there. It had what appeared to be impromptu blades for arms, and a general Samurai aesthetic to its facial design.

While it was observing May, it was suddenly smashed into by a solid quarter ton of muscle, as Venusaur came crashing into it. The beast was sent flying, crashing into the lake with a mighty splash.

Before Venusaur could turn back to May, it was then smashed into by a white blob, knocked unconscious from the blow and straight into May's Pokéball.

The Nihilego, who had been scouting the brunet for some time now, simply looked over the devastation caused, and a pang of guilt pulled at it's heartstrings.

" _So much destruction, for something so slight. But needs must, if war is to be prevented."_

"Enough with the poetry parasite, we must move, and quickly. The horde amasses and will spill out over the world if we don't make our move."

Turning to address its companion, Nihilego saw that her assistant on this endeavour, a lone Kartana, had pulled herself out of the lake, looking worse for as it leaned heavily on one side, as it recovered from the brutal strike it had suffered.

Nodding, Nihilego quickly searched May for her Pokéballs, returning her Blaziken before grabbing hold of her body. With her cargo secured, it made its way back to the portal from whence it came.

" _With this piece secured, we are ready to make our move. Tonight, we address the Defender. And maybe then, can we end the madness."_

And with that, silence quickly returned to the area, besides from the slight cackling of burning wood and the minor burble of the lake.

A few moments later, a grey and orange shape flew in, before floating over to the remains of the small camp site, and the large-scale destruction that caked the area.

" _What happened here?"_ Uxie questioned, observing the small crevices left by the battle that happened here. As she did this, Uxie suddenly got a flash of a memory, May's last memory before going unconscious.

" _Oh no."_

And with that, Uxie suddenly shot into the sky, soaring with a speed that would seem unlikely for such a small and frail looking creature towards Mount Coronet.

Arceus must be informed. The Ultra Beasts were on the move again, and this time, they knew what they were doing.

* * *

Ash was bowled over as he went over to his small horde of Pokémon, as his newest Pokémon wrapped her wings around him.

"Daddy!"

With Ash taking Lugia's attention, Litten took his chance to slip away, to recover from being an overly affectionate Legendary's cuddle toy. Pikachu watched as he slinked into the large crowd, using the massive bodies of his comrades to cover his escape, and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Newbie will get use to it. Maybe I won't have to be the babysitter anymore then." He muttered to himself as he walked over to Ash to help him back up.

After Ash had finished explaining what had happened to his friends, everyone had broken off for lunch, curtesy of Mallow, which gave Ash a chance to catch up with his extended family.

And so, he had become the latest victim to Lugia's bone crushing hugging powers.

As Pikachu gently pried Lugia off Ash, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine, stopping him in his tracks. The chill went deep into Pikachu's being, affecting even his core, as if his life was slowly disappearing and fading.

Pikachu had felt this once before, and he knew what it meant.

"Yveltal…"

Despite the whisper being barely audible, Ash suddenly sprung onto his feet, startling the Pokémon nearest to him.

"Did you just say Yveltal? Is he coming?" Ash questioned in a panic, before suddenly the sun was blotted out.

The area surrounding the beach was shrouded in darkness, with Ash and Pikachu being in the centre of the darkness. Lugia was there, and was now cowering behind Ash, with Azelf and Mew (who had woken up when Ash had been floored) taking defensive positions.

All the other Pokémon in the local area had frozen, all of them in mid-preparation for a potential battle, from Greninja charging up a Water Shuriken, to Charizard flexing his wings to launch himself off the ground, to Garchomp charging up a Draco Meteor and aiming it at the sky, searching for a target.

Ash looked behind him, and saw that his Alolan friends, along with Misty and Paul, had also been frozen, with a look of confusion being formed across their faces. Which meant that Ash couldn't count on them for help.

"Do not fret Chosen One, you are not in danger." A voice suddenly rang out, a monotone, emotionless sound which made Ash's teeth grind against one another.

A dark shape suddenly flourished into being in front of Ash, before blood red wings suddenly jotted out of the dark shape. The rest of the dark shape suddenly formed into a solid being, turning into the familiar shape of the Destruction Pokémon.

Pikachu began charging up an attack, with Mew and Azelf moving forward to shield Ash with their own bodies. Lugia simply continued to cower behind Ash, shaking in complete fear at the arrival of the embodiment of death.

But then Ash stuck his hand out, calling off the attack before stepping forward.

"I take it you're here to give me a gift?" He questioned, which caused the large bird to solemnly nod.

"Ok, but can I ask? What for? I don't recall ever helping you or doing anything worth getting a reward. Why are you doing this?" Ash questioned, curious to find out more.

Course there's something else going on. As much as Ash may be dense, he isn't stupid like many people like to believe. He noticed Latias' nervousness when he asked about Mew's location, he noticed the fact that the Legendaries had all lined up to orderly give him gifts as quickly as possible. At first, he thought it was competitiveness, and with Legendaries like Hoopa, it probably was. But ones like Xerneas and the Lake Guardians? The wise and patient Legendaries who maintained the balance of the entire world.

Ash didn't buy that.

So clearly there was something else going on, Ash just didn't know what.

Yveltal, however, just chuckled at his question.

"And here I had been led to believe that you were dense Chosen One. You are right, I would normally not have much interest in this, even though I do feel some guilt at what I did to your companion." He then halted his explanation, to bow slightly and mumble "my apologies" to Pikachu.

Pikachu just crossed his arms unimpressed.

"Yeah, yeah, you're forgiven. Carry on."

Nodding slightly, he rose back up and carried on with his explanation.

"But there are bigger things happening, things that I am not permitted to speak of. No Legendary is. We will do what we can to help you, but we are forbidden from telling you why. So, I am charged with ensuring you are safe, and I must follow the commands of my lord."

Yveltal then shuffled nervously, as the words in his mouth got caught in his throat. Swallowing them down, he carries on.

"You have my sincerest apologies for what I'm about to do."

Before Ash could question him on this, he then screamed out in pain, hand darting to his chest, in the area above his heart. Clamouring at his shirt, Ash ripped through his shirt in an attempt alleviate the pain he felt.

The sensation was like burning, but so much hotter than any Flamethrower that Charizard had fired at him and so much more intense.

Pikachu snapped into action immediately, charging up electricity at a capacity that caused the dirt around him to be magnetised and elevated.

"WHAT DID YOU DO!?" He yelled, before unleashing a booming Thunderbolt at Yveltal.

Yveltal responded immediately, firing an Oblivion Wing to counter it. As the attacks clashed against one another, Mew and Azelf then darted forward and created a psychic shield, to protect themselves and the screaming Ash from the resulting shockwave.

Ash meanwhile, was in agony. The pain was so intense, that it superseded every attack he had been on the receiving end of, and yet he couldn't find a cause. With his shirt being ripped apart in his desperate search for the wound, all he had found was his bare skin, and nothing else. It was like the searing heat was on his heart.

Suddenly, a jolt went through Ash's body, and the pain… stopped. The burning sensation that he could feel but not find, was gone. He was able to breathe again as the mounting pressure finally receded, and Ash took as much air in as he could to fill his starving lungs.

Looking down at his chest, he couldn't help but notice two small markings on his chest, just above where the pain had been coming from. The first marking was a small triangle, with perfectly equal sides and a red colouration to it. Within that, was a solitary teardrop, shaded blue and trapped within the triangle.

The funny thing was, Ash could have sworn that he had seen both of these symbols somewhere before, he just didn't know where.

Pikachu quickly turned towards Ash and jumped up onto his shoulder, quickly inspecting the markings and making sure Ash was ok, his mission to kill the God of Death temporality forgotten. Yveltal took this moment of calm to address them once more.

"I apologise for that, Chosen One. Were there a way to do this without brining you in harm's way, I would do it. But an anchor was needed for this work, and there is no other way to create an anchor.

This instantly caught both Mew and Azelf's attention, as they turned toward Yveltal with wide eyes.

" _Yveltal, you don't mean,_ _ **that**_ _kind of anchor, do you?"_ Mew questioned hesitantly. If she was right, then things were worse than she thought.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. Things are at play here, and we must play our hand. The die has been cast, and the Chosen One must be protected. Death is like a river, and it flows in one direction only, carrying the rocks cast into it downstream. But sometimes, if you have something to keep them from falling back in, you can retrieve some of these stones."

And with that, Yveltal flapped his wings, launching himself upwards a few meters.

"I leave now with these warriors in your care Chosen One. As the anchor, it is up to you to care for them, train them, and prepare them. Hopefully, they will be able to help, when the need is dire."

And just like that, the darkness receded, and with it, Yveltal. Disappearing into nothingness, time began to run normally, as everyone else went into motion.

"Where is he? I'll kill 'em!" Charizard yelled, and he began building up a Fire Blast in his chest. But he suddenly stopped in his tracks when he caught sight of Ash.

"The hell happened to your shirt?"

Before Ash, or anyone, could respond, the two symbols on Ash's chest began to glow, and light began to bleed out in front of him. The two beams stretched out, before stopping and beginning to form itself in a blob.

The beam from the triangle began to take a draconic shape, with wings jutting out and a long slender neck, along with claws that looked ready to slash.

The other beam, which had come from the teardrop, began turning into a humanoid shape, with more of the tear-shaped objects appearing around its head.

A second later, the light dissipated, leaving two confused, but very alive, Pokémon in its place.

And for those who recognised the two Pokémon, their jaws had practically reached the floor.

Latias, whose eyes were brimming with tears, broke the stunned silence by darting forward, slamming into the blue dragon with enough force to knock the both of them into the ground.

" _Latios! Latios, I'm so glad to see you."_

Ash moved next, striding forward to the other Pokémon and throwing his arms around him, causing said Pokémon to tense up at the gesture of friendship.

"Welcome back Lucario…"

* * *

Hey guys, TWoS here.

Yes, I'm not dead. Just been busy. Will be for a little bit longer, but my uni workload is beginning to die down now so I was able to get this done. And it's an eventful one as well. Ultra Beasts on the move, an evolution, and a gift, with a few other events as well. But be ready, because now the pieces that I have been placing over the story are beginning to come together, and the next part of the story will be put in motion.

What happened to Ash's friends that were taken by the Ultra Beasts? Why are the Legendaries so concerned about them? What will Anabel do when she sees Ash? Which egg will hatch next? All of this, and a hell of a lot more, to come in the next few chapters.

As always, if you could leave a review or send me a PM to give me feedback, that would be appreciated beyond belief. I love reading through them and responding to them, so feel free to contact me, I'm always open to a conversation.

Thank you so much for being so patient with me, and for taking the time to read my story. Much love – TWoS


	15. Chapter 15

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 15**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Everyone stood with their breaths collectively held, as they all stood in shock at the spectacle in front of them.

In the blink of an eye, two Pokémon that they didn't know or recognise (though Misty was giving the blue dragon a strange look) had appeared in front of them, and now, Latias was bawling her eyes out and Ash looked like he was moments away from joining her in the emotional outburst.

No one moved for a while, with even the Pokémon standing there in utter shock, and numerous nervous glances to one another with eyes begging someone to provide an answer. But no one had one.

Latios was just floating there in utter shock, as he looked down at Latias' crying form. She was shaking intensely, muttering things under her breath every few seconds in-between her sobs. And all Latios could do was stare down at his claws.

He had been dead, he was sure of it. He remembered his last moment, or at least, parts of it. He remembered the wave, the mad dash in order to stop it and save his home town, and he remembered saying goodbye to Latias before everything went dark. The rest was a blur, with _something_ happening between then and now, but whatever it was, Latios couldn't make sense of it.

He rubbed his claws against one another, revelling in the slight scrapping sensation he felt jolting through them as they touched each for the first time in who knows how long. But Latios couldn't help but note at how foreign the sensation was, and how wrong it was that he seemed to notice every little detail. From the small chinks in them from when he used to use Dragon Claw in training, to how the outer claws were somewhat rougher than his inner claws.

He finally looked up and looked around at the surrounding area, and the people. He noticed that he was on some beach, which meant that he was no longer in Alto Mare, or even possibly the same region as he was used to.

There were several people he didn't recognise, all of whom were looking at him as if he was an oddity, which in all fairness, he probably was. Even his fellow Pokémon were looking at him strangely, which made Latios wonder; what had just happened to him?

To his surprise, there were other Legendaries present, and not the kind of Legendaries that he was used to. There was Azelf, the being of Willpower itself, looking over him, with a teary look in her eye. Just what exactly did she know? There was a Mew, who looked surprisingly focused and alert, further worrying Latios. Since when were Mew's capable of focus? And finally, there was an abnormally small Lugia, who looked confused and lost.

' _A child? A Lugia hasn't been born for decades.'_ Latios thought, before shaking his head. That was the last thing he needed to concern himself about.

Looking to his left, he noticed a familiar face, the first human he had recognised so far, and one he thought he would never see again, or get the chance to thank for saving his sister.

" _Ash?"_

* * *

Lucario felt his muscles tense up as Ash wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug, his instincts telling him to push him away but his curiosity prevented him from doing so.

The last thing he remembered was the cold embrace of death slowly seeping through him, as jolts of energy left over from the aura transfer set his teeth on edge. Lucario had just come to terms with his fate, satisfied that he had saved Ash from sharing his fate at the very least. He was a brave young man, who had the potential to be an even greater hero than even Sir Aaron.

And here he was crying into his shoulder.

Hmm.

Emotional child hero aside, Lucario was confused as to where he was. Instead of being inside the Tree of Beginning, he was on a beach. A really sunny one.

Hmmm.

It would seem that something has happened since his passing, which demanded that he returned to the land of the living. Based on how Ash was bigger than him now (Lucario could have sworn they were the same height), he had been gone for a noticeable amount of time. But what would justify his supposed resurrection, and deny him his rest and reunion with Sir Aaron?

" _Ash?"_ A telekinetic voice gingerly rang out, gathering both his and Ash's attention. Somehow, Lucario had missed the two Eon Dragons floating right next to him, embracing each other tightly.

"Latios? Is that you?" Ash asked skeptically, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. It would seem that Lucario wasn't the only one who was resurrected.

Interesting.

" _Yes, its me. I… I'm not sure exactly what happened to me. I feel… lost."_ Latios admitted, looking down at his claws again, only to get nuzzled by Latias.

" _You're back, that's all that matters."_

Ash suddenly strode forward and joined in with the affection, throwing his arms around the Dragon's slender neck.

"It's good to see you're ok."

Lucario couldn't help but smile at that. Only the boy could ease such a powerful creature with so simple a gesture.

" _That's just who he is."_

Jumping back at the sudden voice, Lucario slid into a low crouch, arms stretched outwards and a Metal Claw drawn, ready to combat the voice. But all he saw was a small, floating blue creature.

" _Of course, a war veteran. I had forgotten about your past."_ The creature mused, one of the two bejewelled tails flicking in tune with the slight bounce the creature had while hovering in place.

Lucario, no less suspicious but less threatened, began to stand up straight, but kept his Metal Claw drawn just in case as he observed the creature. He had never seen a Pokémon like it, or one which exerted such a psychic pressure. It was akin to a Mew's latent energy, but seemed more focused, as if it was an older and wiser being.

That was when Lucario realised that he was facing no ordinary Pokémon, but a Legendary!

Taking a knee and dropping his Metal Claw, Lucario quickly bowed his head in respect.

"Your eminence, it is a pleasure to be in your presence. Forgive my ignorance and transgressions against you, your arrival merely surprised me."

This drew everyone's attention, as they all stared at him curiously. Azelf, on the other hand, just seemed highly amused.

" _My Arceus, I have not heard someone talk like that for an age."_ She chuckled, floating towards the ancient warrior.

" _It is alright venerable warrior, you are forgiven and excused, and I am truly humbled to have met you."_ And with that, she bowed, matching Lucario's posture.

Everyone just starred at the display in confusion, with no one still not having a clue what was going on. All they knew is that they were seeing something that not many could claim to have seen.

Something which, apparently, didn't warrant a sense of privacy from one of their members.

"Incredible! Two new and incredibly rare Pokémon appearing out of nowhere!" Rotom Dex shouted in excitement, before flying towards Lucario and snapping several photos, all with the flash on.

Agitated by this new 'aggressor', Lucario responded in kind.

By punching Rotom square in its screen.

Before he could follow up this attack with another strike, Ash had lept in front of him, waving his arms wildly.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" Ash yelled, doing his best to keep the ancient Pokémon's focus on him. "That's just Rotom, he's a friend."

That caused Lucario to raise an eyebrow in question.

"Your friend is a machine? What new age sorcery is this?"

This caused Mew to giggle ecstatically, causing her to roll I the air.

" _This is gonna be interesting."_

* * *

Arceus was dwelling in her throne room, lamenting her choices and decisions that had led her to this point in time.

Contrary to popular belief, she was not as God-like as many believed. Yes, she did create the universe using her near limitless power, and that made a God by nearly every standard, but she was not omniscient. She did not know the outcome of every decision, and she was, **very,** capable of making mistakes.

If that was the case, she would not be stuck in such a predicament.

And thus, here she was, reliant on forces she did not have full control of to deal with a threat of her own making. And all she could do is try and keep her precious Chosen One safe from her mess.

While she normally did not have favourites among the denizens of the world she created, she did have a certain fondness for the Ketchum boy. A human who cared so much about life, so much so to constantly risk his own, was rare enough on its own. Someone who could instil joy and happiness into the hearts of those around him, raising them up to greater heights and to reach their innate potential. And one who had the potential to accomplish so much, to dedicate themselves to the preservation of life whenever they find it threatened? It was practically unheard of.

Yet, here he was, saving both the weak and the powerful from the evils of the world, and escaping its corruption as well. Truly, he is a blessing from the collected mess that was humanity.

The fact he had saved her from her own folly also helped her think of him in a positive light.

Which was why she needed to keep him safe. Why she insisted that he was prepared for the worst. Why she **needed** him to have two powerful bodyguards in the form of a young but talented Latios who had passed while saving his town, and a war-tested Lucario who had been trained by one of the most venerated humans known to her: Sir Aaron.

With these warriors now connected to him through the anchor, Arceus now knew that there were two more highly capable warriors present to protect him. He would not suffer for her foolishness.

A flash of darkness suddenly jutted into the room, and a dark shape rose from the shadows.

" **I trust everything went well?"** Arceus questioned, skipping past the pleasantries.

Miffed by the rude greeting, Yveltal was silent for a few moments, simply hovering closer to Arceus' throne.

Sighing heavily, Arceus gaze began boring into Yveltal.

" **I understand you are annoyed, creature of death, but understand me when I say this. I am not in the mood for your passive aggressiveness. So, I will only ask this, once."** Arceus began, before she rose from her throne and began channelling power through her body.

" **DID IT WORK!?"** She boomed, her voice causing the entire Hall of Origin to shake, paint flaking down from the ceiling. The ancient pillars that held the ceiling up, which had been imbued with ancient powers to make them near indestructible, cracked and splintered from the force that was imbued into her voice.

The other Legendaries that were present in the Hall, making the necessary preparations for their gift for the Chosen One, began cowering at the sound which rocked the entire plane that the Hall existed on, terrified for the individual that this Godly anger was focused at.

Yet Yveltal was unphased, staring passively at Arceus as she raged. He knew better than most that this rage was born from frustration, not at him, but at herself. He knew why she was so adamant about pushing these events forward, and why steering the Chosen One away was so important to her.

She was trying to fix her own mistake.

But Yveltal was an old and simple Legendary, as focusing on the flow of death alone for centuries would dull most individuals. He knew that this wasn't the right path to fix the problem, but rather the fast track to more death.

But that was not his concern, so he would not be bothered by it.

"The process, while very painful for the Chosen One, worked perfectly. The two warriors are back in this plane and are, albeit very confused, in the perfect position to protect him from harm. I am sure either Mew or Azelf can fill them in on details."

Dissipating the energy that was channelling through her, Arceus began to collect herself.

" **Good, good. I'm glad that's sorted. We don't need any issues arising from that."**

Suddenly, Uxie flew into the room, crashing into Yveltal and knocking him over, finally garnering a reaction from the passive being of death.

"Oi, watch where you're going ya little git!"

But Uxie took no notice of this, instead floating straight towards Arceus.

" _ULTRA BEASTS! ULTRA BEASTS AT LAKE ACUITY!"_

This caused both Yveltal and Arceus to go blank.

"… **what?"**

After collecting herself, Uxie continued explaining.

" _Two Ultra Beasts were at the Lake, and there were signs of a battle. They had attacked someone."_

This caused Arceus to furrow her brow, as she processed this information. This wasn't Ultra Beast behaviour like she knew, they were rabid beasts who destroyed what they came across, but they weren't ones to do so randomly. Why would they travel all the way to the Lake of Acuity to attack someone camping out there?

Uxie then hesitated as she looked up at her creator. _"It gets worse, I'm afraid."_

This caused Arceus and Yveltal to share a concerned look. How it possibly get any worse?

" _The person that was taken, was a member of the Chosen One's cohort of supporters and friends. If I were to guess, they are cutting off his supporters before launching a tactical assault. The Chosen One has been targeted."_

Arceus stared at Uxie for a moment, her face not betraying a single emotion.

" **Are you sure?"**

" _Positive, I sense her memories. She was attacked and taken in tactical ploy by two Ultra Beasts. This is too organised to be a coincidence."_

Arceus simply nodded, before strolling past Uxie slowly, her composure surprisingly well kept.

" **Thank you for bringing this to me, you have done me a great service by shining a light on this matter. We are better off for it."**

But as soon as she finished speaking, her composure began to melt away to show a Godly rage, before she roared with a voice so powerful that Mount Coronet itself shook from its shockwave.

" **BRING ME MEWTWO!"**

* * *

Charizard was cradling his egg as he watched the scene unfold, gathering what information he could.

From what he had overheard, the two new arrivals had been Pokémon who had helped Ash in the past who actually _died_ , who were now alive again because of Yveltal, the supposed God of Death.

Charizard watched as Ash and the mass group in front of him were engaging with the two of them, asking several questions which pushed boundaries and invaded privacy. Exactly why Charizard was lurking back (although he was curious to be fair).

Yet there was something that they didn't know yet, something which only two of them did: why and how were they resurrected.

Charizard quickly glanced at the first of the two candidates, and began sizing her up.

'Psychic, Legendary, one of a kind, supposedly the source of all Willpower. Not the best target for intimidation.' Charizard mused, as he stroked his chin with one of his claws, not liking his chances of securing information from the blue being. He then cast his sight over to the other candidate.

'Psychic, Legendary, _not_ one of a kind, knows near every move available, yet is easily distracted and unfocused.' Charizard analysed, as he observed the pink fur ball as she floated around.

Deciding that she was the better choice, Charizard strode over to isolated Psychic type, egg clutched tightly.

"Yo, pinkie. Can I have a minute?"

At the sound of his voice, Mew turned to look at Charizard. And her eyes lit up.

" _OH, MY, ARCEUS! IT'S YOU!_ _ **THE**_ _CHARIZARD!"_ She squealed, bringing her paws up to her mouth in excitement.

This stopped Charizard in his tracks, as he looked at her curiously.

"Wait, you've heard of me?"

Mew simply let her mouth drop as a response.

" _Heard of you? I think you're amazing! You're Ash's Charizard. The same one who conquered the Charicific Valley, bested the Battle Frontier, and overcame Legendaries! Your battle prowess is legendary, second only to the like of Pikachu himself. I mean, you even battled Mewtwo!"_

Charizard was soaking in the praise, but stopped once he heard the Pikachu comment, and was outright confused by the ending comment.

"Who the hell is Mewtwo? And when did I fight him?"

Mew quickly stopped fangirling to look shocked, before composing herself again.

" _Not important. Hey look, egg. QUICK BLESSING!"_

Before Charizard could question her more, she tapped his egg and then teleported to Ash's head, disappearing just as the egg began to glow. The egg began to grow appendages, growing four stubby legs and two long ears. A bushy tail began to form and jut out, which began to tickle Charizard's arm as it began to wag excitedly.

The glow then faded, and in his arms, was an excited looking Eevee.

Charizard held back the small Pokémon in front of him, and took one quick look at it before he began tearing up.

"I've only known you for a few moments, but I already love you. And if anything were to happen to you, I'd kill the ones responsible without a second thought."

Hugging his child close to him, he began to make his way to the amassed group. The dead guys can shove off for a bit, he had a child to show off.

* * *

" _So, I've been dead for close to three years?"_ Latios questioned intently, not believing what he was hearing.

"I'm not exactly much better off, I've been dead for about two as well," Lucario added, his arms crossed as he leaned against the side of Professor Kukui's house, where they had all sat down for some lunch, "which is something I guess. Not many people can say that."

Pikachu, who had planted himself on top of Latios' head, looked at Lucario quizzically.

"You know, you're rather unaffected by all of this. I mean, you've been dead for two years."

All Lucario could do is shrug nonchalantly, as he looked at the small mouse.

"I was locked in a staff for a thousand years before that. Frankly, all things considered, this isn't a major development for me."

Squirtle, who was lingering around Lana because she seemed to subconsciously pet any Water Type which was within arm's reach, just couldn't help himself but laugh.

"Wow, an ancient warrior, who has seen the horrors by war, is unbothered by dying. Talk about being overburdened with indifference."

This elicited a few chuckles from some of the other lounging Pokémon, including Lucario (though he tried to hide it with a well-placed paw), and the humans just looked on blankly.

"You know, I never really thought about it before, but they must have some great conversations that we can't understand." Lillie commented, which caused her classmates to nod solemnly along.

Suddenly, Lucario's head appendages rose up, and Lucario pushed against the wall to pose himself in a combat stance.

"Something is coming."

And sure enough, barely a second after he had warned them, a pulse of energy suddenly rippled out, sending chills down all of their spines. In a heartbeat, everyone was on their feet, and charging up attacks.

Pikachu, who was powering up a Thunderbolt, and debating whether or not to switch over to Fusion Bolt, suddenly had a quick thought.

"Just realised, you two aren't up to speed. We've got unknown Pokémon with a bone to pick with Ash for reasons we don't fully know. Get ready for a fight."

That was all they needed to hear, and soon they were charging up attacks. Whoever came forward looking for a fight, was going to get obliterated by attacks of every type.

The energy rippled again, and suddenly a ball of concentrated energy appeared, which distorted the space around it as it ripped apart the fabric of space. Soon, the ball into a tear, which expanded to a size which could easily allow some manner of creature come through it.

Ash, who had taken a moment to finish his sandwich before jumping into action, was now standing in front of the Alolan crew, ready to shield them with his own body should the need arise.

Suddenly, a white tentacle edged its way through the portal, but there was something off about it. It looked… tainted, as there was a black, tar like substance flowing through the tentacle. The rest of the creature began pulling its way through, and Ash could only stare in horror at what he saw.

"Serena?"

Pulling itself out of the portal, was a strange, jellyfish like creature, with a large collection of the tar substance flowing throughout its body, but at its core, was Serena. She seemed conscious, but not fully, as if she was dazed, her eyes glazed over with a lack of focus.

But it didn't stop there though, as another one pulled itself out of the portal, with a third one following shortly after. And in both of them, they both had a person who Ash cared about in its core.

"Dawn? May! What are you doing with my friends?" Ash yelled, as he began to lose his temper.

Now, Ash wasn't one to shy away from anger. More than once he had given into his temper when he had seen someone do something despicable, like abusing Pokémon or bullying people. But this, _this_ crossed the line. Not his friends, not on his watch.

"Pikachu! I want the strongest Fusion Bolt you've got! We need to save them!"

Nodding, with the spark of rage present in his eye, Pikachu began harnessing the power for Fusion Bolt, the yellow electricity that had been sparking around him turning Blue, focusing around his cheeks.

But to their surprise, the first jellyfish-like creature raised one of its tentacles.

" _Wait! We come in peace. Please."_

That caught Ash off guard, and the command to fire the firestorm of attacks got caught in his throat. He looked at his Pokémon quickly, and tried to gauge their reaction.

Most of them seemed hesitant, reluctant to fire on someone asking for peace.

Except for Charizard. He just wanted a fight.

Looking over at the Alolan crew, along with Misty and Paul, he saw that they didn't know what to do either, so it all came down to him. But he did note that they seemed to have understood what the creature had said, which meant it was speaking English.

"Ok. I'll hear you out, but if I don't like it. I'm going to bring everything I've got to save my friends."

Appeased by this, the creature bowed its head, before floating towards him.

" _We have come to speak. We have come to warn. Great Defender, Champion of the People. We need your help. Or war will ravage us all."_

* * *

Hey guys, TWoS here.

I'm back, and with another chapter. And it didn't take me a month this time.

This chapter is one I'm rather hesitant on, because it's got some deep content to it. Not only am I adding a lot of new events and Pokémon and stuff, but I tried to go really in detail with Latios' and Lucario's reactions. I'm not sure how people will respond to it or if you'll like it, so now more than ever, I need feedback. Either tell me what you think in a review or a PM, because any and all feedback is incredibly helpful and greatly received.

I now have more free time on my hands, so I will be able to work on this story more than I have been. So hopefully you won't have to wait long before the next one. But your support has been incredible, and I cannot be more thankful for it, so thank all of you for reading my work.

So, until next time, much love – TWoS


	16. Chapter 16

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 16**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Ash eyed up this creature with a wary eye, taking a moment to let its words sink in. Now, Ash knew he wasn't the smartest person around. Both his many companions that he had met over his travels and even his own Pokémon had made that clearly abundant over the years.

But Ash knew that there was more to this statement than he was being told. And before he could make any act, he had to try and find the truth from a group of creatures he had, literally **no** reason whatsoever to trust, especially considering he was currently looking at the unconscious forms of some of his friends floating around inside them.

But before he could go into that, there was one question that Ash needed answering first.

"A war with who?"

This seemed to make the creature's tentacles flutter slightly, as they began to perk up.

" _You will hear us?"_ The lead creature which had Serena's semi-conscious body questioned, slowing inching forward while it spoke.

Ash looked over at Pikachu, who was now at the very front of the small army of Pokémon who were now waiting for a command telling them what to do, having jumped down from Latios' head as soon as these creatures had shown up. He looked up at Ash, and simply shrugged in response.

"It's your call Ash, I'm just the muscle at this point."

Looking down at his feet as he debated his options, Ash felt breathless for a moment. He had dealt with lots of strange situations before, from people who wanted to collect God-like beings for their own personal collection, to people willing to do anything and everything to make some money, and even faced global destruction before.

But never war. War had never been something that Ash had the misfortune of stumbling across in his travels. And he didn't know how to deal with it.

But despite the sinking feeling in his stomach, and the sweat that was causing his hands to clam up, Ash couldn't find it in himself to turn these creatures away. Despite what they had done to his friends, they had come to _him_ for help. They had called him 'Great Defender', and while he didn't think that highly of himself, he didn't intend to let them down.

No matter how afraid he was.

Steeling himself for whatever happened, Ash looked up at the creatures with a stern look.

"Ok, I'll hear you out. And if I can help, I promise I'll do what I can."

Elated at this, the creatures began to murmur amongst themselves, giddily conversing with one another before turning back to Ash, showing as much glee as can be shown on the semi-conscious bodies that resided inside them.

" _Great Defender! You will save us! From the horrors that seek to unveil themselves."_ The lead creature chanted, before bowing, an act which it's fellow creatures copied.

Ash simply shuffled nervously at his feet before the grand gesture, before collecting himself and pressing on.

"So, what exactly are you? Like, are you Ultra Beasts? Are you Pokémon? Or are you something else?"

The lead creature, having risen from its bow, stretched out two of its tentacles in a broad manner, before speaking again.

" _We are all. Beasts of another world, Pokémon of Arceus' design, and strangers to this land. But we are creatures of this realm, no different to you. Which is why we decided to seek your help in protecting this realm from total war."_

The creature paused for a moment, before pulling its tentacles back towards itself, before gesturing to its two companions.

" _We, are the Nihilego. One of many species that exist beyond this world. And I apologise for what we have done to your friends, but it was the only way we could communicate."_

Azelf, who had been hanging back and observing the scene with a critical eye, took this moment to make her presence known.

" _And how exactly does that work? What makes you think that he, or at the very least us, his Pokémon, could not understand you?"_

The Serena-Nihilego pondered this for a moment, before turning to face Azelf and making a screeching sound. The sound was inhuman, and rattled the bones and teeth of the many Pokémon and humans present, causing them to clasp their hands over their ears as the sound rang out.

After a few agonising seconds of this sound echoing out, the Serena-Nihilego stopped, before looking over the group with what appeared to be watery eyes, before carrying on.

" _That, was our natural tongue. To us, we hear the clarity of our people ring out. To you, a sound which brings pain. If we seek peace, we had to speak a tongue that appeased to your sensibilities. Only through others, can we spread the message that will save us all."_

After a few moments to allow himself to catch his breath, Ash stood up again, and looked at the Nihilego with a stern and unforgiving look.

"Can you free them? Once this is over? I do not want to lose my friends."

The Nihilego looked to each other, sharing a concerned look, before turning back to Ash.

" _Once we have said what needs to be said, to save both our worlds, we will return what was taken. We swear this to you, Great Defender."_

Satisfied with this, Ash nodded, before crossing his arms.

"Good. Now who is it we're gonna end up fighting? Because as much as I'd like to do more, I'm only really good at training Pokémon and battling if I'm honest. So while I do want to help, please don't expect much, I'm not very good at…" And then Ash stopped for a moment, eyebrows furrowing as he went into deep thought.

This concerned the Nihilego, and they began to slowly edge their way forward.

" _Great Defender, are you alright?"_

Ash, completely ignoring the Nihilego, simply looked straight up at the sky, mumbling to himself.

"What's the word I'm thinking of?"

While he was distracted, he failed to notice Misty march towards him, annoyance etched all over her head. Once she was within arm's reach of Ash, she slapped him around the back of the head.

"Negotiating. That's the word you're looking for, you dolt!"

The Nihilego recoiled at this, the tips of their tentacles beginning to take a purple tint, before Ash began rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish smile.

"Right, that's the word. Thanks Misty."

With a hum of derision, Misty turned back and walked over to the other humans, who were looking at her with wide-eyes. When she took her place next to Mallow, Mallow took this chance to lean in to speak with her.

"Are you insane? We're dealing with potential war here and you slap the one person who can potentially stop it?" Mallow question incredulously, causing Misty to shrug her shoulders with indifference.

"Clearly you haven't hung out with Ash for that long. Sometimes he needs a slap or two to have some sense knocked into him. Otherwise, he'd never get anything done."

The Nihilego, who were now sporting a concerned look on their borrowed faces, simply looked at each other, before addressing Ash again.

" _You are humble, Great Defender, or maybe simply ignorant of your true influence. Even to the people of our world, who exist so far from here that we cannot even observe the star your home orbits, have heard of your great exploits. Of how you were willing to give your life, time and time again, for others who owe you nothing. Of how you fight for what is right, even when you stand alone. Of how even the God's we worship are humbled by your exploits. Your name is legendary, even to us, and yet you see yourself as merely another… trainer?"_

The Dawn-Nihilego took this chance to float forward, and begin to circle Ash, seemingly observing his form.

" _You have done so much, and are capable of so much more than even you are aware of, if you put your mind to it. If there is a soul that is capable of preventing war, and saving us all, it could only be you."_

As the Dawn-Nihilego circled Ash and lavished him with praise, Ash began to squirm, kicking at the sand under his feet before he remembered something, so he turned back to the Serena-Nihilego.

"Wait, so if you guys are looking for peace, then who were the ones that attacked me yesterday?" Ash questioned, enticing a look of worry from the Nihilego.

" _There were others here? When? Who? Why?"_ The May-Nihilego began to spout out, before Pikachu weighed in.

"Happened around midday yesterday. A portal opened up near us while we were relaxing after a busy morning. Attacked Ash straight out the bat, and they were pretty strong too. Don't know why they went straight for Ash, but they clearly knew who they were targeting, and they didn't exactly stop for a chat. As for who, we have no idea."

The May-Nihilego considered this for a moment, before looking at Pikachu again.

" _What did they look like? Describe them."_

But Pikachu raised his paws in front of him.

"I didn't get a good look at them, I was only close enough to get a few snap shots in. But Garchomp got a better look." And with that, he gestured towards Garchomp, who had been chewing on a rock since Ash had told them to stand down.

"Tell 'em what you went up against." Pikachu ordered, causing Garchomp to spit the rock out.

"Right, course. Well, they were pretty big. About my size in height, but much broader. They were covered in muscles, and were really red, like they had been in the sun for too long. And they had the face of Beautifly, which was really weird." Garchomp explained, using his arms to mime out what he was trying to describe.

This caused the Nihilego to shudder, as they shared a nervous glance to one another.

" _Buzzwoles."_

With an annoyed grunt, Charizard stepped forward and shouted out towards them.

"Oi, noodles! Mind sharing with the rest of us?"

Turning back toward the group, the Serena-Nihilego spoke out.

" _Apologies. We know who it was who attacked you. It was likely members of the Buzzwole clan, another which inhabit our world. They care not for peace, and look only for a worthy fight. And if they went after you, Great Defender, then they know who you are. And what you could do to their cause."_

Latias, who has been lingering behind Latios since the Nihilego showed up, nervous of the idea of a massive fight breaking out, began to twiddle her claws nervously, before taking a deep breath and floated forward.

" _Excuse me, Nihilegos? You still haven't explained much to us. Who wants this war, and why?"_

" _You're right, and we apologise. The ones responsible for this are the leaders of our various clans, who feel that they have been wrong by the Gods you name Legendary. For what reason, we are not fully sure, but for whatever reason, they have decided to take out their fury against this world. And to begin with, they want to take out their champion: The Great Defender."_

This caused a stir amongst Ash's Pokémon, with multiple murmurs of Pokémon challenging anyone stupid enough to try and go after Ash under their breath. And it caused a thin layer of sweat to form on Ash's brow.

"Oh Arceus…"

* * *

Tapu Koko was admiring the vast collection of gems that were in front of him, enjoying the way they sparkled in the light.

Ever since their battle where the young Ketchum boy's Pikachu had left him battered from a single attack, Tapu Koko had spent a lot of time thinking about what he needed to do in order to take control of the situation. He didn't like the fact that he was in the dark, and he had a strong suspicion that something else was going on that he didn't know about.

And he **did not** like that.

So, he had taken steps to try and influence the proceedings, starting with the local Kahuna. Hala had been a good friend of Tapu Koko for decades, and had served Melemele Island well over those years. If there was any human that Tapu Koko could trust to help him deal with this, it was Hala. So, he went to him and pointed him in the right direction.

Next, he had the other Tapus scour the region for all of the Z Crystals. While Tapu Koko knew he couldn't predict what kind of situation was coming, he knew that it was trouble. The other Legendaries of the world were fickle creatures, and usually didn't bother dealing with humans. For **all** of the Legendaries to put themselves into gear to act on this, then there had to be trouble brewing.

Tapu Koko would bet his Z Crystals on it.

Speaking of the Z Crystals, Tapu Koko had gathered them to give to the Ketchum boy. While he despised breaking the rules of the Island Challenge like this, he knew that the Chosen One was going to be at the centre of all this, so he was going to need all the firepower he could get. And having all the Z Crystals was definitely an increase in firepower.

Tapu Koko then floated over to his personal shrine, where a small bracelet was laying. It was a simple bracelet, but it had the symbol of the Tapus adorning it. This, was the Champion Z Ring, a unique Z Ring that was only going to be given to a trainer who could prove themselves to be a champion to the Alola Region, and someone who had earned the trust of all the Tapus.

Tapu Koko looked at the ring with a heavy chest, as he admired the craftsmanship of the bracelet. While it was a simple bracelet, the importance of it could not be overstated. This was a symbol of a champion, for someone who had accomplished heroic merits. And although he was reluctant to hand it out, surely there was none who deserved it more than the Chosen One of Legend.

"Well, no point debating. It's now or never."

And so, with a heavy heart, he grabbed the bracelet, and the assorted Z Crystals, and began to make his way to leave his temple.

However, as he made his way to the exit, a sense of foreboding began to run down his spine, leaving his feathers standing on edge.

"Something's coming!"

And with that, Tapu Koko darted off, speeding to the Chosen One's location. Speed was of the essence, and he couldn't afford to hold back.

Alola's future could depend on it.

* * *

As Ash took more deep breaths to try and prevent the sudden onset of a panic attack, a pulse of energy warped out nearby, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one who felt this, as everyone was suddenly on edge, even the Nihilego. Not knowing where this attack could come from, many of Ash's Pokémon, began pairing up with each other, pressing their backs against each other as they charged up attacks.

Charizard and Sceptile had partnered up, the two powerhouses searching out their opponent with sharp eyes. Primeape and Infernape had paired together, their fists tightly clenched and their legs tensed, ready to spring out and charge at whoever dared come after their trainer. And Pikachu had jumped onto the back of Swellow, taking to the air as he charged up enough electricity to fire off dozens of Thunderbolts. A feat, that he felt would soon become necessary.

Even the Nihilego had formed a triangle pattern, circling slowly as they all began charging up attacks in their tentacles, apprehension become clearly apparent on their borrowed faces.

Ash, as much as his head was swirling right now because of how scared he was, knew that there was a lot more on the line then his life. He had to worry about the others, who were currently unprotected.

"Tauros! I want all of you to get Misty and the others and get them away from here. Protect them from anything that comes their way."

With a war cry from the herd which showed their understanding, the massive herd of thirty muscular Tauros began running to the collection of humans, including Misty, Paul and the Alola crew. Grabbing most of them by the backs of their shirts, the lead members of the herd lifted them off their feet, before running off with them to the distance, ignoring their protests against this.

Including the protests of one **extremely** annoyed redhead.

"ASH KETCHUM! YOU TELL YOUR BULLS TO LET GO OF ME OR I SWEAR TO ARCEUS I'M GONNA SMASH YOUR HEAD IN WITH MY MALLET!"

Satisfied that they were now safe, Ash began clasping his hands together in an attempt to settle his nerves. This was one of the things that Ash hated most; the quiet time before a battle. Normally, this was simple nerves before a league battle, something that Ash was more use to.

But this was something else, this was the calm before the storm, with the storm being potentially lethal. Either he, or one of the many Pokémon who had become part of his family over the years, could potentially die. And that just left a heavy weight to settle in Ash's stomach.

But before he could reflect on this further, a ripple appeared in front of him, tearing apart the fabric of reality only about twenty meters in front of him.

Before anyone else could respond however, a second ripple appeared, closer to Professor Kukui's house, catching the attention of several of Ash's Pokémon.

And then a third one appeared. And a fourth. Before Ash could really take it all in, the portals had completely cut him and his Pokémon off, trapping them in-between a circle of interdimensional travel portals.

The next second seemed to stretch on for several minutes for Ash, as he tried to take in as much as he could. All of his Pokémon were preparing to move, either leaping forward to close the distance between the portals, or charging up attacks to blast whatever came out of those portals. Pikachu in particular seemed to be concentrating intently, charging up a large field of electric currents around him, which brushed off Swellow harmlessly, as he prepared to blast several Ultra Beasts at once.

And then all hell broke loose. Several Ultra Beasts, including Buzzwoles and several Ultra Beasts that Ash didn't recognise pouring out, a large war cry echoing out. Ash's Pokémon began clashing with them in huge contests of power. Sceptile launched forward with a pair of Leaf Blades charge up, and began slashing at the closest Ultra Beasts he could get to.

All of Ash's Water and Ground types began making use of their new moves, blasting Ultra Beasts with Origin Pulse or smashing them with Precipice Blades. Ash's flying types began clashing into the airborne Ultra Beasts, either trying to clip their wings to cause them to clash or simply ram into them with enough force to knock them out the sky.

Charizard, however, was having a whale of a time. Clashing first with a Buzzwole who had tried to rush him, which had resulted with Charizard planting the Bug type into the ground, head first. He then grabbed the pipes of another Ultra Beast, which had blades for hands, and launched it back into the portal it had flew out of. He was about to dash forward to clash with another Ultra Beast when he caught sight of a little ball of light brown fur as it wandered towards one of the portals.

"Eevee!" Charizard roared, before pushing off the ground and using his powerful wings to boost himself forward, only to see Eevee get grabbed by an Ultra Beast.

This Ultra Beasts was unlike anything Charizard had ever seen, being more mouth than creature. Excluding two large claw like appendages, the creature was basically a walking mouth, with a dark colouration to its skin, with several teeth filling its large jaw.

And it had Eevee in its claw, raised above its mouth.

"NO!" Charizard yelled, just as it let go of the Eevee.

With its mouth wide open, Eevee was dropped straight down its throat, and had almost reached the gluttonous creature's oesophagus, when the creature began closing its mouth.

But before it could, Charizard forced his arm into its arm, grabbing Eevee by his tail, and yanking him out with all his strength. And, while he may have been covered in the saliva of this monstrous creature, he was safe.

But now, Charizard wasn't just angry. He was **ENRAGED!**

"NOBODY EATS MY SON!"

And using his free arm, Charizard smashed the Ultra Beast with a Mega Punch, before unleashing an unrestrained flamethrower on the large Beast.

But while the Beast staggered from the attack, it did not fall, instead standing its ground and issuing a challenge.

Clutching his clueless son under his arm, and blowing smoke through his nose, Charizard issued a bellowing roar, answering it with ironclad determination.

* * *

Anabel fanned herself as she sat at the café that she and Looker had stumbled upon, trying to help deal with the intense heat of the Alola region.

They had been walking throughout Hau'oli City for the better part of that morning, investigating the energy readings on their specialised Ultra Beast trackers that the International Police had provided them with. However, they weren't getting many results, as every time they managed to track down an energy pulse, it had turned into a dead end. The first was a trainer and his Magneton, and the second being a different trainer with his Alolan variant Raichu. The most embarrassing one was when the third dead end, which was simply a malfunctioning microwave.

And now, they were taking a brief break to rehydrate themselves and manage their other agents. While she and Looker were on Melemele Island, the other agents that had accompanied them were dispatched to the other Islands in the region, each tasked with finding what traces of an Ultra Beast incursion they could. But they had come up with absolutely nothing.

Which annoyed Looker to no end, who now had to report this lack of findings to his superiors.

"Yes sir, I understand. No, we haven't given up. Yes, we will continue our investigation. Yes, I will fully brief you once we're finished. I understand sir. Good day sir."

Hanging up his phone call, Looker then slumped into his chair, groaning out-loud as he wiped his brow to remove the sweat building up on it. Which caused Anabel to look at him curiously.

"How are you wearing that?" She inquired, which caused Looker to glance over at her with an exacerbated look.

"What?"

"That trench coat. You must be baking in this heat." Anabel pointed out, while taking a sip of her lemonade.

Looker simply shook his head, taking a deep swig of his whiskey, and muttering to himself.

"I think we have bigger problems than that right now, don't you?" He questioned, before leaning back in his chair again, basking in the sun.

Suddenly, a large explosion rang out, the soundwave causing both Anabel and Looker to jump out of their seats, hands reaching to their belts and Pokéballs instinctively.

"I agree, we do have bigger problems." Anabel quipped, before breaking out into a sprint, heading in the direction of the explosion.

Pausing only to down the rest of his drink, Looker began pursuing her, eyebrows twitching as he went.

Of course, he'd have to get involved in some kind of gang war or whatever was going on, he was genuinely **that** unlucky.

* * *

Ash dived out of the way of another blast, as a Nihilego who wasn't part of the trio who came to them for help fired a Poison Sting at him, before it was blasted into the ground by the airborne Pikachu, burying it in a crater.

Another Ultra Beast with blades for hands tried to rush Ash before he could get up again, only for Ash to punch it square in its face, sending it reeling back before being barrelled into by Donphan, giving Ash a moment to recover.

But as Ash managed to get his feet under him again, he caught sight of an incredibly large Ultra Beast forcing its way through one of the portals. It was composed of three main parts, with a main body which looked like the bottom part of a dress, with a head which resembled a bamboo shoot jutting from the dress. The two separate parts of the creature, which seemed to be makeshift appendages, both resembled rockets, with massive holes at the top of these rocket like arms, with the bottom composing of several rocket thrusters at the bottom, which seemed to be pushing it forward.

As the creature pushed its way through to our world, it caught sight of Ash, and narrowed its eyes at him. Pausing in its quest to get through the portal, it began aiming the holes at the top of its rocket like arms at Ash, and began charging energy through them.

In no time at all, the creature fired twin beams at Ash, causing the ground beneath the beams to buckle and tear up the ground beneath it. And it was heading straight to Ash, with no one being close enough to save him. This left Ash to do the only natural thing: raise his arms to cover his face, and hope it doesn't hurt too badly.

But instead of searing pain and a heavy blow to his body, he felt nothing. Curious as to what happened, he lowered his arms, only to find that the blasts that weren't meant to incinerate him, were simply hovering there, suspended in front of him.

Before Ash could even hazard a guess as to what was going on, a familiar psychic pressure began pushing down on his mind, as an intense voice rang out.

" _Pitiful cretins. You dare attack the Chosen One!"_

Looking up at the sky, a large grin broke out on Ash's face as he recognised the old friend.

"Mewtwo!"

And hovering there, several meters above him, was the bipedal clone of Mew, the most powerful psychic on the planet, and an old of Ash's. He was floating there, with a single arm outstretched as he controlled the blast that was intended for Ash.

" _To think that you ignorant creatures would dare attack one who cares more for life than any justifiably should."_ Mewtwo scolded, shaking his head disapproving as he lowered his body in-between Ash and the blast he was suspending with his psychic might.

" _I believe this is yours, so have it back."_

And with a flick of his wrist, the twin blasts suddenly flew backwards, smashing into the Ultra Beast with enough force to send it flying back through the portal.

The explosion that sent the giant Ultra Beast packing caused all of the Ultra Beasts in the local vicinity to stop their attack, as they suddenly realised that they were in the presence of a **true** powerhouse.

With a slight smirk gracing his face, Mewtwo cracked his knuckles, and swaying his tail excitedly, as he began charging up Shadow Balls in his hands.

" _So… who would like to challenge my might next?"_

* * *

Hey everyone, TWoS here again, with another extremely delayed chapter release.

I'm so sorry that I took so long with this chapter when I promised you otherwise, I kinda misjudged how busy I was gonna be for the last month. But alas, I managed to get this chapter done and I hope you enjoyed it. While it isn't my longest chapter ever, I put a lot of effort into making sure it was good, so I hope I succeeded.

A lot happened this chapter, including a lot of lore and story. I know I haven't explained everything, but don't fret: more will come in the near future. Hopefully, I've captured your attention enough. As always, hearing your feedback is always massively helpful, so please leave me reviews or PM me with your feedback. Whatever response I get, I'm always grateful for it, and I love interacting with you lot.

Thank you so much for putting up with my irregular upload schedule, and much love as always – TWoS


	17. Chapter 17

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 17**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Another blast shot over Lucario's head as he rolled under it, before springing forward and planting his fist square into the large bug-like beast, causing it to crumple up from the sheer force.

Before Lucario could confirm he had taken this Ultra Beast out, he sensed another one charging him from behind, prompting him to spin on the balls of his feet and fire an Aura Sphere point blank into the Ultra Beast charging him, which crashed into the brute with explosive force.

As the second Ultra Beast, another bug beast, crashed into the dirt, the first one charged at Lucario again, having recovered and launched another attack. Swerving just under the beast's fist, Lucario rolled out of the way before leaping up into the air.

Now clear of both the beasts, Lucario spread his hands out to the side, before charging up two separate spheres of power, one being a Flash Cannon, the other being a Dragon Pulse. As he descended, the two beasts began to run towards the area where Lucario was going to land.

Which brought a slight smirk to Lucario's face.

'Good.'

As soon as Lucario landed, with the two Ultra Beasts now looming over him, he brought his two arms together and fired both attacks simultaneously.

"For the Kingdom of Rota!" Lucario bellowed, as the two attacks struck their targets dead on, the resounding shockwave knocking both beasts out cold.

Standing over the two defeated creatures, Lucario took this moment to catch his breath and survey the battlefield. The beasts had been relentless in their attacks, pouring out onto the battlefield from several strange holes that seemed to linger in the sky. And now the once peaceful Alolan beach was a warzone, something that Lucario had a little too much experience in.

Closing his eyes, Lucario allowed the Aura to flow through him, as he began to sense the lifeforce of all the creatures around him. Filtering out the bright flashes of the dozens of attacks which were ringing out around him, Lucario began taking in the scene around him using his Aura Sight.

It was east to differentiate between his newfound allies of Ash's Pokémon from the Ultra Beasts, due to the severe difference in the two's Auras. And it wasn't looking good.

No matter where he looked, the Ultra Beasts were outnumbering them, trying to swarm them using their brute strength and superior numbers, wiping out those they could. The only reason Ash's Pokémon were lasting as long as they were being mostly due to their experience as battlers, allowing them to outmanoeuvre and outsmart the simple-minded beasts.

But that advantage would only last for so long, as there were several members of Ash's team who weren't as powerful or as skilled as Ash's elite battlers, and even then, Ash's heavy hitters such as Pikachu and that monstrous Charizard could only keep this up for so long.

" _I couldn't agree more Venerable Warrior."_ A voice rang out in Lucario's head, causing him to drop into a defensive position, as he spun to face this new foe, only to relax once he recognised who was addressing him.

"My Lord Azelf. What can I do for you?" Lucario questioned, as he turned back towards the chaotic battle happening around him.

The small, yet powerful Legendary, simply floated forward, taking a brief moment to observe the battle before addressing Lucario again.

" _You were making the observation just now that they are fighting a war of attrition, one that we cannot win, yes?"_ Azelf questioned, looking at Lucario curiously.

Lucario simply exhaled deeply, watching as an Ultra Beast which appeared similar to the ones that had sought Ash out earlier clashed ranged attacks with Glalie, the Poison and Ice attacks causing another explosion to ring out amongst the several dozen which were happening simultaneously.

"Yes, my Lord, I've seen this tactic before. During the Siege of Cameran Palace, they tried to overwhelm us with sheer numbers to storm our defences and assassinate the Queen. They outnumbered us around twenty to one." Lucario explained, before chuckling to himself slightly.

Tilting her head slightly, Azelf frowned at Lucario.

" _And what, pray tell, is so amusing?"_

And in response, Lucario looked her dead in the eye, with mirth lingering in his amused smile.

"Right now, I'd take those odds any day over this mess."

Staring blanking for a moment, before joining Lucario in a brief chuckle, Azelf shook her head.

" _You are an odd one, Venerable Warrior. I can see why you get along with the young Chosen One."_ But then the smile disappeared from her face as her serious demeanour shone through. _"But what was your point?"_

Taking this as a cue to become serious again, Lucario stood up straight and tall.

"That battle we only won because we were able to cut off their reinforcements, and launching a counter attack once we knew they were incapable of using their superior numbers. If we are to stand a chance, we must gather our forces, and do the same." Lucario explained, punctuating this by smacking his paws against one another.

Azelf considered this for a moment, before nodding.

" _Agreed, but how? These portals are giving off strange energies, and I do not know how to close them myself. What would you suggest?"_

"I haven't had the chance to think that far ahead, but I was thinking. With the two Eon Dragons, the erratic Mew, yourself, plus that strange newcomer who saved Ash, would you not have enough psychic energy to close them?" Lucario questioned, before the fur on the back of his neck bristled, causing him to jump out of the way of a stray blast.

Furrowing her tails in thought, while also sending a return pulse of psychic energy to send that Ultra Beast packing, Azelf considered this.

" _Perhaps, but we would need a moment to focus our energies. Can you secure that, Venerable Warrior?"_

Allowing a small smirk to fill his face, revealing his sharp fangs, Lucario drew forth his dual Metal Claws.

"It would be my genuine pleasure."

And with that, Lucario darted forward, swiping his claws at one of the sword wielding with unrestrained fury, pushing it back and away from Azelf.

Taking this moment to escape, Azelf pulsed her energy beneath her to give her a boost of speed as she launched in the air. She had to gather her fellow psychics, if they were to stand a chance of winning this battle.

" _Forgive us for bringing this turmoil onto you, Chosen One."_

* * *

Meganium slammed into another Ultra Beast as she tried to make her way to the house which Ash had been staying at while he was in Alola.

As the battle had raged on, the Ultra Beasts had begun to be a bit more tactical in their unrelenting attack, targeting not the strong members of Ash's team who could easily withstand what they could throw at them and give the same punishment back, but the smaller, more fragile members of Ash's team.

This was why Meganium was now carrying a semi-conscious Scraggy on her back and trying to make her way to the small gathering of Pokémon which were now using the Professor's (surprisingly sturdy) home as a shelter.

Once she managed to barge her way past that Ultra Beast, pushing it in the path of a rampaging Infernape, and ducking under the blast of a beam attack from one of the airborne Beasts, she managed to get into the house where the other Pokémon she had brought here were now resting.

Currently resting across the room to recover from their wounds, was Quilava, who was trying to reignite her extinguished flame, Corphish, who was having a bucket of water poured onto him to moisten his shell again by Goodra, Hawlucha, who was having his wing bandaged by Leavanny, and Buizel, who was simply out cold after battling one of the bug Ultra Beasts.

When the smaller Pokémon began getting severely injured by the Ultra Beasts, Meganium and a few other Pokémon had decided to do their part and help them. Meganium, Goodra, and Torterra had decided to act as the muscle, rescuing their less experienced and less powerful team members from the Ultra Beasts and ferrying them to the house, which seemed to be the only safe place within range in the battlefield. Leavanny and Bulbasaur had also joined in the effort, helping to heal the injured and to protect the house from any Ultra Beast that came towards them.

As Meganium gently deposited Scraggy next to Leavanny, who was already threading together several pieces of leaves to make a surrogate blanket, Bulbasaur entered the room, covered from head to toe in scratches and grazes, limping slightly as he approached Meganium.

"Another casualty?" Bulbasaur sighed, looking over the small group.

Turning to speak to him, while also bending her neck down as low as she could go to try and lower the space between their heads.

"Yeah, it's getting bad out there. They seem determined to try and weaken us one at a time, and at this rate, we'll run out of Pokémon before they do."

Bulbasaur nodded sadly at this, wincing as he accidentally leant on his bad leg.

"And have you seen Ash? They were targeting him after all."

But Meganium simply shook her head, as she began walking back towards the door.

"No, I lost track of him almost instantly. I'm going to try and find him now, and help him out." Meganium informed, before she stopped herself as she turned towards Leavanny.

"Leavanny, how are the eggs? Are they ok?" She questioned intently, as she took a heavy breath in.

But Leavanny simply smiled as she looked up at Meganium.

"As safe as they were before you left last time, and I will not let a soul get near them, I promise." Leavanny informed, before crossing her pincers across her chest.

But before Meganium could let the sense of relief this statement brought to flood through her system, the front window suddenly exploded, as an Ultra Beast dived through it.

This beast was peculiar, having a body which heavily consisted of several multicoloured balls, with frills on its wrist separating its hands from the arms, and a larger frill located around its neck, which rippled and fluttered as the ball which served as its head rolled around, seemingly observing the occupants of this building.

But before it could attack, Goodra had reared up from his task of helping Corphish, and began charging up a Dragon Pulse, allowing the energy to run up his spine as he gathered it in his mouth.

In response, the Ultra Beast began to spin the ball which resembled its head, with fire beginning to cover it as it built up momentum.

Within seconds, the two had both built up their powerful attacks, and unleashed them upon each other, the two energy attacks crashing into each with enough force to knock all the furniture in the house aside.

But before the energy could clash for too long, Leavanny sprang into action, slashing into the legs of the Ultra Beast with her X-Scissor. This caused the Ultra Beast's attention to slip, and the slight shift in focus gave Goodra the chance he needed, with his attack gaining the upper hand and forcing its way through the Fire Blast with ease.

Slamming into the Ultra Beast, the attack carried it off, forcing it back out the house and into the beach just outside with a might explosion.

With the Ultra Beast now dealt with, Goodra turned to Meganium with a stern look on his face.

"Find Ash now, and _help_ him. We'll hold things down here."

Nodding in agreement, Meganium charged back outside, her search for her erratic trainer beginning.

* * *

Litten dived away from the attack, with pieces of dirt and sand showering his back as he jumped into another crater, using the brief moment of safety to shake off his injuries.

As much as he hated to admit it, Litten was not one of Ash's strongest Pokémon. The past few days had certainly proved that with all of Ash's Pokémon showing up. While Litten knew that Ash had caught other Pokémon from different regions, having been shown pictures of them by Ash in the past while they had been lazing around the house, Litten had no idea how strong they really were until he met them personally.

Not that he minded really, it just gave him more confidence in his decision to stay with Ash. If he had Pokémon _this_ powerful, then either he's the luckiest trainer on the planet, or he was just an incredible trainer and knew how to connect with his Pokémon.

Having lived with him for a few months now and seen his training methods personally, he knew that luck, surprisingly, had nothing to do with it.

But now, Litten was terrified by how much he was outclassed by the combatants today. Not because he feared his teammates, but because he now knew the difference between them and him. And this meant he also now knew how strong the creatures that were now trying to kill him was.

And frankly, Litten was afraid for his life.

However, he had refused to back down, and had managed to help out in the battle. He had assisted Heracross in taking down one of the massive Ultra Beasts that had the twin disembodied arm cannons by attacking one of the cannons, giving Heracross the opening he needed to land the final blow.

After that, he had briefly clashed with another Ultra Beast, and had gotten thrown around like a rag doll. Which wasn't a pleasant experience. The first chance Litten had gotten, he had made a run for it, which led to now, where he was hiding in a ditch and licking his wounds.

Pain jolted through Litten's leg as he briefly put weight on his front paw, as he examined it. He had taken a slash to the leg during his last bout, which had knocked him off balance and allowed his opponent to get several attacks in. The only reason he had gotten away was because he manged to sink his teeth into the Ultra Beast with a Fire Fang.

Looking up at the raging battle, Litten couldn't help but feel inferior, and weak. Attacks were raging out all around him, each one ringing out with a booming bang, smashing into their targets with enough force to tear up the ground around them and send the lighter combatants flying due to the sheer force of the impacts.

And the main thing that caught Litten's eyes was the newcomer that had come during the early stages of the battle, looking like a humanoid Mew and possessing insane power. It was currently flying above the battle, simultaneously fighting off at least two dozen of the creatures at once, sending their bodies plummeting to the ground.

Pikachu was also dealing heavy damage, riding on the back of Swellow and blasting everything that dared to approached him, the multiple bright flashes of his Thunderbolts striking foe after foe.

Before he could find another of his teammates to see how they were faring, the Ultra Beast he was facing before crashed through one of the walls of dirt which made up the crater, it's arm reaching out to try and slash Litten.

But Litten was quick on his feet, managing to throw his body to the side, just out of reach of the potentially fatal attack. But as he put out his front paws to catch himself, pain suddenly seared his nerves, causing his legs to give out and Litten's body to collapse into the dirt.

" _Silly little creature, trying to face against one as beautiful as myself."_

Shaking his head to try and dislodge some of the dirt, Litten looked up at his attacker. This one, just like all the other creatures they had today, was incredibly strange looking to Litten, having a strange body shape, even for a Pokémon. It vaguely resembled a cockroach, with a segmented body which had several parts to it. A slender neck connected its head to its body, where the most judgmental eyes resided. Glaring down at him were a pair of narrow white eyes, with purple iris and blue pupils, filled with nothing but loathing and contempt.

Spitting out some dirt, and trying to shake his head to clear his vision, Litten just glared right back.

"I ain't afraid of some bug-eyed freak." He muttered, though the words came out slurred and jumbled.

But the beast wasn't swayed by his feeble attempt at sounding tough, simply chuckling as she looked down at him.

" _You're a warrior of the Great Defender? Pathetic."_

And with that, it began charging up a Hyper Beam in its hand, the energy being charged up in its hands beginning to create a high pitch whine.

Litten simply closed his eyes, knowing that no matter what he did he couldn't dodge it, nor was he powerful enough to even try and fight back, so he just decided to accept it.

But that was when he noticed, a _second_ -high pitch whine.

Suddenly, from Litten's left, multiple beams of energy tore through the crater walls, the beam surrounded by a controlled wind stream, smashing into the Ultra Beast with enough force to send Litten back a few feet. The impact caused the beast's body to spin in the air, the charged attack firing harmlessly into the air.

Flipping in the air to right itself, the beast's stick-like feet dug deep into the ground, and pushed against it to launch the beast forward towards the source of the beam. But before it could get far, a winged dinosaur creature slammed into it, causing both of them to crash into the dirt.

"LEAVE MY BEST FRIEND ALONE!" Lugia roared, before charging up a Hydro Pump and firing it point blank, pushing the beast back even more.

Litten felt shock flood his system, as he watched the young Legendary clash with the beast. This was the same Legendary who, only mere hours ago, had been smothering him with affection, acting more like a child then a seasoned fighter. And here she was now going toe to toe with a creature who had thrown him around like he was a toy. But that wasn't what shocked him most.

What shocked him most was that she was doing it to protect him.

Litten was a reserved sort, preferring to act aloof and isolated for the most part, watching contently as the others acted like fools. They would often attempt to try and include him, but he'd politely decline, letting them carry on with what they are doing with a slight smile as he watched. He appreciated their attempts to include him, but he just didn't feel comfortable getting that close to them. Not yet at least.

But here was someone who, despite all that, had made it their mission to befriend him, and who enjoyed his company. It left him feeling a sense of satisfaction that he had seldom felt before, only really feeling it with Stoutland.

A loud thud brought Litten out of his thoughts, and as soon as he began focusing on current events, what he saw shocked him.

The Ultra Beast had gained the upper hand, and was currently trying to crush Lugia's windpipe with its arm.

" _Pathetic, insolent, beast! You dare challenge the right of the horde? Your life is forfeit!"_ The beast spat out, venom dripping from every word.

Litten's eyes widened at this, his mouth dropping at the sight before him. And then rage set in. White, hot, searing rage began burning through every fibre of his body, causing Litten to **despise** this beast in front of him. But when he tried to step forward to help, his legs gave out again.

Now a new emotion was flooding Litten's system; disappointment. Disappointment at himself, at his inadequate power, at his inability to protect those he cared about. The one Pokémon who he wanted to help, and here he was incapable of even standing. He couldn't save Stoutland, he wouldn't fail to save her.

Suddenly, Litten felt a surge of energy within him, and a newfound strength was fuelling his internal fire. His legs, which seconds ago felt weak and wobbly, felt stronger and longer, capable of carrying him further in battle. His sight, which was just hazy and blurry, had cleared up, and now he could clearly see the beast as it continued to choke Lugia.

No more.

Using his new strength, he launched forward, slamming into the beast and burying it into the ground. Before it could get back up, Litten breathed in deeply, charging up an ember. But his internal fire was stronger than ever, turning from a bonfire to a raging inferno, and this energy began pouring into his attack.

When he fired, instead of several small balls of fire firing out of his mouth, an endless stream poured out, bathing the beast in an unending coating of fire. By the time Litten needed to stop to breathe again, the beast was out cold.

Turning to Lugia, who was gasping for air, Litten gingerly approached.

"H-hey, are you ok?" He questioned hesitantly, not sure how to ask without sounding insensitive.

But all he got was a pair of wings surrounding him as she brought him into another bone crushing hug.

"Yay! You did so well. You rescued me! You even evolved!" The last statement made Litten pause momentarily, before looking at his paws below him.

Sure enough, his feet were different to how they normally were, and the injuries he had were now looking much better than they were moments ago. And he was sure that if he had a proper look at himself, he'd see the full effects of the transformation.

"Huh, how about that?"

* * *

Absol leaped backwards as another attack was launched at her, narrowly avoiding it before striking out with a Night Slash that she was charging through her horn. The strike hit true, causing the Ultra Beast to be launched back before dashing off, running for cover from the young Disaster Pokémon.

Absol took a breath, allowing the energy in her horn to dissipate before turning and trying to find Ash. Ever since the fight broke out, all hell had broken loose, setting her Disaster sense off constantly as constant threats appeared from around her. And yet, despite that, in the middle of all the madness, there was a single point of potential Disaster, like a concentrated ball of light standing out in Absol's sixth sense.

Which could only be her father's terrifyingly unlucky trainer.

Deciding, somewhat paradoxically, that he was the best place to be, Absol had been slowly making her way towards him, duelling briefly with whoever came near her so that she could fight them off.

However, she had been struggling, finding that her moves lacked the power needed to hurt a lot of these creatures, and the only ones she could hurt were incredibly difficult to hit because they were so much quicker than her.

The only reason she hadn't been seriously injured and had managed to chase off her few opponents was because of her disaster sense, which allowed her to dance around her opponents for long enough to give her the opening she needed to drive them off. She hadn't necessarily beaten any of them, but she had fought them off well enough to make them go after her other teammates, who were having a much easier time dealing with them.

As she crossed the field of battle, jumping around a battle between Kingler and an opposing Nihilego, she caught sight of Ash, who was busy diving and ducking out of the way of multiple attacks, somehow managing to avoid all of them. If only by the skin of his teeth.

Pushing herself even harder to reach him, she launched herself towards him, racing towards him to try and give him some protection. But as she closed the distance between her and the erratic human, a spike in her sixth sense caught her attention, alerting her to a strike coming from her left.

Putting her legs out to stop herself, and digging up two mounds of dirt in the progress, she leaned back as a bolt of energy passed where she would have been had she continued, the lightning strike crashing into a mound of sand.

But then multiple vine-like objects wrapped around her before she could react, squeezing her body tightly before lifting her off her feet.

Looking at her body, she realised that the vine-like objects weren't vines at all, but resembled the cables that humans used in their homes, something she had seen a lot of in the home she was staying at. And the strange thing was, this seemed to be some form of tail.

Following it to its body, she saw that this was a trend with the creature's entire body, being made of several dozen cables and wires which gave it a thin yet stringy appearance. Its movements were jolty, and small sparks appeared on points where the cables connected. And for its head, it had a bright glowing star which shone brightly, illuminating Absol as it observed her, with a distorted sound coming from it, almost sounding like a mocking laugh.

A guttural sound then rang out, the head flashing in time with the noises that came from it, as it spoke to her with a distorted ring.

"Zap, zap, little one. I'll enjoy turning you to charred meat."

And with that, electricity began channelling through its tail, sending pure jolts of pain into every nerve ending in her body, causing her to scream out in agony. And her screams _greatly_ pleased the Ultra Beast.

"Yes, yes, scream for me. I'll make all of you scream. Let's see how loud I can make you screech!" It cackled, as electricity began charging around it, the energy sparking out randomly as it built up around it's strange body.

But before it could discharge it, it was suddenly smacked with a large boulder, knocking it over and causing it to drop Absol.

"Oh good, that worked."

Looking towards where the voice came from, Absol was surprised to see a small grass type confidently strolling towards her, the vines they used to throw the boulder retracting into the cabbage-like plant on their back.

"Mr Bulbasaur?" Absol questioned, her eyes widening as she looked at her elder. While she knew that her father had a vast amount of respect for his old teammate, she couldn't help but fear for his safety. He was an unevolved Pokémon, and he simply didn't have the same aura of power that her father possessed.

This could only end badly.

The Ultra Beast, who has since recovered, seemed to agree with her, as a distorted laugh ran out, drawing her attention back to it.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! The best challenger you can present is this? A little plant of a Pokémon? Pathetic! I'll destroy you as well!"

But Bulbasaur just stared blankly at the towering monster before him, just taking a moment to readjust his footing.

"Try then. If you can." Bulbasaur replied coolly, as he tensed up the muscles in his legs.

This surprised Absol, as the confidence washed over her. What made him so confident in the face of such a powerful foe?

The Ultra Beast wasted no time, darting forward and bringing its arm crashing down with a Thunder Punch towards the small grass type.

Bulbasaur however, wasn't swayed by this, and simply darted to the side. As the fist embedded into the ground, Bulbasaur fired off a Razor Leaf, the sharpened leaves slashed into its arms, getting caught in-between the wires and causing the beast to roar out in pain.

Now angered, the beast swiped his arm that had been pelted with the Razor Leaf after Bulbasaur, electrical energy surrounded it as it tore up the earth.

Bulbasaur simply crouched down, and when the arm was nearly on top of him, he leaped up in the air, the force of the sweeping arm throwing him further in the air, causing him to spin in the air.

Using his airtime, Bulbasaur began gathering sunlight, the hot Alola weather giving him an abundance of solar energy to absorb. When he landed on the ground again, he fired the beam at the towering foe, smashing into the star shaped head with tremendous force and knocking it out completely.

To the complete and utter shock of Absol.

Brushing himself off with a vine, Bulbasaur strolled up to Absol with a cheeky smirk on his face.

"I may only be in my first evolution, but there's some things you can only learn with experience. And I've got that in spades kid."

Patting her on the back with his vines, Bulbasaur walked off, looking for another beast to battle, and leaving a now thoroughly impressed Absol in his wake.

* * *

Mewtwo swiped his hand to the side, guiding a wave of his psychic energy to create a solid wall which knocked several of the beasts to the side, before spinning in the air and smacking his tail into another which had been sneaking up on him.

These… beasts, were more formidable than Mewtwo had originally anticipated. When he was summoned by Arceus, he knew it was for a formidable task. Despite being one of the youngest Legendaries in the Hall of Origins, he knew that he was respected due to the power he possessed and wielded, with some of the more humble and mature Legendaries (which weren't many) had admitted that he was stronger than them.

But the task to protect the Chosen One? To protect Ash Ketchum, the boy who had taught him compassion? The single most unlucky, accident-prone, disaster of a human that was his one friend?

Yeah, that was a near insurmountable task, even for him.

 **Near.**

Nevertheless, he was now dealing with a massive horde of creatures that Arceus had flat out refused to tell him about. All he was told is that they would be unlike anything he had ever come across before in his travels, and that they were hunting Ash.

Mewtwo didn't appreciate being told so little when they obviously knew more than they were letting on, but he had enough to be able to function, which meant that he could act. Which was enough.

But back to the task at hand, these curious creatures were certainly unlike anything he had ever dealt with, so at least they had told him the truth about his assigned task. They had strange bodies and limbs, creating strange forms of life which had equally bizarre abilities to attack him with.

None had been successful, but still, it was a strange experience.

Another three flew up from below him, charging up several attacks to strike at him, trying to exploit Mewtwo's brief lapse of concentration.

Only to be hit with a succession of Shadow Balls.

" _Cretins, thinking they could sneak up on me."_ Mewtwo admonished, before turning his sight to a small horde of the beasts which were trying to rush him from the front.

Before they could get close enough to attack Mewtwo, a storm of Thunderbolts sparked around Mewtwo, striking each of the beasts and knocking them out of the sky.

Turning to the side, Mewtwo couldn't help but smirk as he saw his sudden ally.

" _Greetings Pikachu, enjoying yourself?"_

Flying on the back of Swellow, (who, rather strangely, was glowing a bright gold, shining as the light from various attacks reflected across his shiny coating) was Pikachu, with a confident smirk on his face as electricity cackled all around him.

"Yeah, I guess. Enjoying the chance to cut loose a bit, not enjoying the whole life or death aspect if I'm honest." Pikachu explained blandly with a shrug, before unleashing another Thunderbolt into the distance which hit some distant target, leading to a satisfying shriek of an Ultra Beast as they were fried.

Mewtwo nodded solemnly, before getting into a battle pose.

" _I'd ask why you're so nonchalant about this whole situation, but I'm aware of who your trainer is, and what he gets up to?"_

Pikachu just shook his head, while holding onto Swellow as he performed an aileron roll to avoid a large boulder that was thrown at them, before firing an Electro Ball back at them with vigour.

"I've been travelling with Ash for about five years now. You either get use to strange or live in a state of shock. There's no other choice really."

And with that, he flew off on Swellow's back, hunting down more Ultra Beasts while Pikachu shouted out at the top of his lungs, "Off to work we go again!"

Shaking his head in mild amusement, Mewtwo simply channelled some more psychic energy throughout his body, before charging up a pair of Shadow Balls and launching them into the distance, the balls of Ghostly energy homing into two different Ultra Beasts. With that done, he blasted off into a different part of the airspace, homing into another battle with deadly accuracy.

However, before he could engage with another opponent, a voice rang out across the battlefield, stopping the battle entirely.

"ENOUGH!"

* * *

Ash brushed himself off as he managed to get his feet under him.

He had been kept on his toes for the entire battle, not really being able to actually contribute much to the battle beyond tackling and punching any that he could get within reach of.

With little success.

As a result, Ash was now covered is cuts and bruises, with his clothes being all torn up as a result and leaving him looking all scuffed and dirtied. However, despite all that, he wasn't very injured, and was still in good enough shape to keep going.

For now.

But now that one of the attacking Ultra Beasts had shouted out calling everyone to stop, Ash chose to take this moment to poke his head out and see what was going on.

In front of one of the portals, was a collection of Ultra Beasts who were swarming around one of the bug-like Ultra Beasts, but this one was different from the others. This Ultra Beast was MASSIVE, standing at over twice the size of a normal one, and looking incredibly scarred, possessing dozens of scars across it's muscle covered body.

This Ultra Beast had his arm in the air, almost as if it were commanding a 'cease-fire', as the other Ultra Beasts began to swarm around him, creating the impression of an overly busy beehive.

Around Ash, who was standing at the other end of the beach to the swarm, his large group of Pokémon began gathering. There weren't as many of them present as there were at the beginning, which Ash knew meant they were knocked unconscious (Ash felt relieved when he saw Meganium ferrying their bodies to safety throughout the battle). And the ones that were still here looked battered and tired.

Charizard especially looked like he had been to the Distortion World and back, being covered in scratches and burns all across his body, with a pristine and excited looking Eevee cradled in one of his arms.

And a large pincer which was still dripping with some strange yellow fluid in his other arm, which he dragged carelessly across the floor, with a smug and satisfied look on his face as he lugged it onto his shoulder.

With all of his still-conscious Pokémon gathered around him, the lead bug Ultra Beast spoke again.

"Great Defender! You have fought valiantly! But the horde will not be denied! Grievances shall be settled, and grudges paid! Starting with you!" He roared while posing with every sound, the declaration echoing out across the beach, rattling the remaining non-shattered windows on Professor Kukui's house.

But all Ash could do was throw his arms in the air with exasperation.

"What grudges? What have I even done? I'm just trying to enjoy my holiday." Ash moaned, causing his companions to sweat-drop.

But this response seemed to send the Ultra Beast through a loop, as it stared at him passively for a moment, it's red compound eyes staring at him intensely. When it next spoke, it was with a hesitant tone.

"You… you truly do not know do you?"

Shaking his head, but then composing himself, Ash tensed up and got into a battle-like stance, as he glared at the lead Ultra Beast.

"I don't know why you're after me, but if you want a fight, then I'll give you one." And with that declaration, Ash turned to the side.

"Greninja! Let's do this!"

And with that, the blue frog ninja leaped into the air, landing just in front of Ash, before taking his battle stance.

With that, Ash and Greninja, moving in synch, began to cross their arms, causing water to suddenly appear and flow around Greninja's body. The water then formed into a massive X on his back, and with a flash from his eyes, he completed this transformation, turning him into 'Ash-Greninja'.

However, before they could capitalise on this further, Ash's Mega Ring began to glow, as Ash's raw, unrestrained emotions began to flow through it, triggering the ring into action.

Energy began to pour from the ring, with several beams jutting out from the ring, homing into the various Mega Stones that had been handed out by the Mews (the remaining one of which began to giggle ecstatically as she realised what was happening).

As the energy began being absorbed by the stones, a sphere of energy and light began to encase the various Pokémon, changing their forms into stronger, more intimidating forms.

After a few moments, standing amongst the family of collected fighters, stood; Mega Charizard X (who looked _real_ impressed with his new black scales), Mega Sceptile, Mega Pidgeot, Mega Heracross, Mega Glalie, Mega Garchomp, and Mega Latias (who squealed in delight at her new form).

Mewtwo, who had been standing next to Ash with his arms crossed, stared at the various Mega Evolved Pokémon with an analytic look, as he scrutinised the powerups intently. After a moment, he turned back to Ash.

" _I have to admit, I am quite impressed. And a little bit jealous."_

This caused Ash to look at Mewtwo oddly.

"But… you can Mega Evolve as well? I saw it in Unova…" Ash asked, confusion seeping into his words.

Mewtwo just stared at him, eyes wide at the accusation.

" _I'm sorry, you saw me do what in Unova?"_ He questioned slowly, trying to search Ash's eyes for hints of a joke or jest.

But before Ash could response, their attention was drawn back towards the Ultra Beasts, as the lead one roared again.

"So, this is how it must be! I must apologise Great Defender, for you are a far greater soul than the ones you serve! I must applaud your steadfastness and dedication to your cause, but I'm afraid that must end today! For today, we must settle our grudges, and that means going, through **you!** "

And with that, the Ultra Beast horde began preparing for battle, as they each began picking out targets to go after, most of them targeting the newly invigorated Mega Evolutions.

Taking their battle stances, Ash's family of battlers prepared for another round against these beasts, with Azelf shaking her head as she began channelling her energy.

" _Here we go again, let's do this."_

And with that, the two sides charged against one another.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Unova, up on the peak of Twist Mountain, a young aspiring Dragon Master was busy training her Pokémon.

"Goomy! Use Muddy Water!" Iris called out, which Goomy did with vigour, which the Charmander he was facing dodged with ease.

Ever since departing from Ash, Iris had been keeping her head down and continuing with her goal to become a Dragon Master, training up her team to be even stronger than ever and even catching two new members for her team; an overly playful Goomy and a battle hungry Charmander.

And she was now trying to train them up a bit, by having them battle against each other in the harsh conditions of Twist Mountain.

It wasn't the most glamorous task in the world, but Irish had enjoyed the peace and quiet after her time with Ash. Not that she didn't enjoy her time travelling with the 'Little Kid', but his life was incredibly chaotic and it simply overwhelmed her at times.

On her shoulders, was the Gible she caught in Johto, and Axew, who watched the two Pokémon battle with a proud look on their faces. Meanwhile, in the background, Excadrill and Dragonite were sparring with intense force.

As she watched the two young Pokémon practice her moves, she thought back fondly to her time with Ash. She briefly recalled that the last time they had spoken over the phone, he had mentioned he was going to spend some time in Alola.

Which sounded like heaven to Iris, a tropical country with next to no ice. Pure bliss.

"I wonder how Ash is doing?" She wondered aloud, before returning her attention to her training Pokémon, shouting out a few attacks as she did.

* * *

Hey everyone, TWoS here, and I've got another chapter for you.

This one is very different from the rest of the story, so if it throws you off, I'm sorry. But I wanted to try something a bit different, as well as include some fanservice, so this is what came from that. I hope you enjoy it, because I quite enjoyed writing this chapter. But if not, I'm sorry.

So, a lot has happened in this chapter, and more is to happen. This battle will rage on for a bit longer, and then there will be a moment of calm, before the story returns to normal. So, if you enjoy this kind of stuff, you've got another chapter of it. If you don't, then please endure it for one more chapter. But either way, I hope I can deliver.

Please let me know what you think, what parts you enjoyed and what parts you didn't, as well as what you want to happen or who you want to have a bit of shine in the near future. Any and all feedback is helpful and greatly appreciated, and I just enjoy interacting with everyone.

So, thanks for reading, I'll see you in the next chapter – TWoS.


	18. Chapter 18

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 18**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

The people of Hau'oli City were running for their lives as a herd of Tauros' ran through the high street, causing them to dive out of the way of the mobile herd. And as it ran through the town, it was accompanied by a myriad of insults being shouted from the centre of the herd.

"I'LL SKIN HIM ALIVE FOR THIS! IF HE THINKS HE CAN JUST GET HIS POKÉMON TO CARRY ME OFF WHILE HE'S OFF RISKING HIS LIFE AND EXPECT ME TO DO NOTHING THEN HE HAS ANOTHER THING COMING!"

In the middle of the herd, holding on for dear life, was the Alola Crew, with the new additions of Misty and Paul, being ferried off by the determined herd of Tauros: taking them as far away from the battle as they can carry them, much to their displeasure.

Especially Misty. She was less than impressed at this stunt.

"I SWEAR TO ARCEUS, I'LL HAVE THAT MORON'S HEAD! AND YOU, TAUROS! PUT ME DOWN, RIGHT, NOW!"

And with that command, the herd stopped, finally allowing the Alola Crew to regain their footing, with only Sophocles having to step aside to heave his guts out. Although Lillie was on the verge of having a panic attack, as she began to put some space between her and the many Tauros.

"S-so close… I was so close t-t-t-to them." She muttered to herself, her entire body convulsing as she tried to comprehend the amount of physical contact she just had with Ash's Tauros. She was breathing rapidly, every breath only bringing in a small amount of oxygen, leaving Lillie to start feeling light-headed.

She would have continued with her panic attack, until a hand gently began rubbing her back in slow, soothing circles. Broken from her stupor, she turned to see Kukui crouching beside her.

"It's ok Lillie, just breath. In and out, nice and slow. Ok?" Kukui comforted, his voice gentle and his tone patient.

Nodding along slowly, Lillie began to slow down her breathing, taking in the breaths she desperately needed and began feeling a bit better.

Now that she was feeling better, she was now more aware of the rest of her friends, all desperately trying to calm down an enraged Misty, who was on the verge of exploding. Her rage was so great, that even the massive herd of strong and mighty Tauros were cowering away from her.

And, although Lillie would never admit it to Misty, she didn't blame them. The fiery red-head was terrifying when she was angry.

No wonder Legendaries didn't faze Ash, one of his best friends was more imposing then literal Gods.

Makes you wonder what the rest of his friends were like.

Speaking of other people which Ash knew, Lillie glazed over to where Ash's rival, 'Paul' Lillie reminded herself, was standing, having segregated himself as soon as the Tauros had dropped them, and was now glaring in the direction that they had come from.

"This is just like that time in the Orange Archipelago, he had to go and be the hero. And what happened? The moron almost drowns! And who had to save him? ME! USELESS IDIOT!" Misty ranted, clearly in the middle of a massive outburst with Ash being the focus of it. Her face was red, and she looked dishevelled and angry, pacing back and forth while flailing her arms widely, almost hitting Mallow who was trying to calm her down.

"It'll be ok, Ash has some of the strongest Pokémon I've ever seen protecting him. He'll be fine, I promise." Mallow reassured, before a loud bang echoed out.

In the distance, a plume of dust rose up, with a small shock wave blowing over the group, causing Sophocles to fall over. It was shortly followed by a bright beam of light appearing, tracing through the sunny sky and tearing through the few clouds that were there before fading out again.

"Somehow, I highly doubt that." Lana whispered, just loudly enough for the others to hear as they stared towards the battlefield, fear seeping into their minds.

All except for two, that is.

"Oi, Paul. Or whatever your name was. You ready for a fight?" Misty asked, spinning towards him with a flourish.

Paul looked at her, assessing her momentarily before nodding.

"It's a good opportunity for me to use my more powerful Pokémon against these… Ultra Beast creatures. It'll be suitable training."

Double-taking only for a brief moment at that comment, Misty nodded, before turning to the Alola Crew.

"And you lot? What about you?"

This caused several of the school children to stare blankly at her, with only the occasional blinking being any indicator that they'd heard her. Mallow was the one to break the silence.

"Are you joking? You want us to jump into a fight which we're not prepared for _at all_ , just like that?" She asked incredulously, which Misty replied to by simply laughing.

"Nah, I'm not. It's just a part of being friends with Ash. You know; saving the world, defending Legendaries, fulfilling ancient prophecies, defeating criminal organisations, and generally being in life-threatening peril."

However, when all she got for a reply was several blank stares, punctuated with several loud gulps, she rubbed her forehead before trying again.

"Listen, I know this is scary. Believe me, I know. I did this for years, travelling through two regions and an Archipelago with the idiot. And while this may be terrifying and daunting, I can promise you two things. One, Ash needs our help, more than he'll ever admit." Misty explained, before she smiled at them, pure nostalgia bleeding through to her expression.

"And two, you'll have a hell of an adventure."

Sharing brief looks with each other, with several admittedly timid nods between each other, they turned back towards Misty, their confidence somewhat bolstered with Kiawe taking a step forward.

"Alright. We're with you."

Smirking to herself, Misty pulled a Pokéball from her belt and enlarged it.

"Good, and don't worry. Ash isn't the only one with tricks up his sleeve." She said confidently, before running her hand through her hair, and revealing her earring.

An earring, with a familiar DNA helix inside of the gem.

* * *

Ash rolled as he dodged another attack, before swiping his arm in a long arc, emulating Ash-Greninja's attack and he used a Cut on an Ultra Beast.

Dirt now coated him entirely, caking him from head-to-toe, with rips and tears being apparent on his t-shirt and shorts, with minor cuts and grazes on his arms and legs. Ash was now breathing heavily, as his eyes darted around looking for a potential attacker.

However, his eyes weren't keen enough, as an Ultra Beast flew towards him with blistering speed, leaving a sound-cone as it tore through the battlefield towards Ash. But before it could hit him, a voice rang out.

"Dazzling Gleam!"

Following this cry, a bright flash of pink light appeared from out the corner of Ash's eye, slamming into the Ultra Beast and blasting it into a mound of sand and dirt, causing a cloud of dust to blow over Ash.

When the dust cleared, in the place of the lumbering Ultra Beast, was a sleek and elegant Espeon, looking awfully proud of itself for the attack it just launched.

But Ash wasn't too concerned about that, but rather, the fact that he _recognised_ the Espeon.

"Hold on, aren't you…"

But before he could finish his thought, he was tackled to the ground, with the only thing Ash getting a look at was a brown trench coat which covered himself and the person who tackled him.

"Sir, I'm with the International Police. Please try and exit the field of battle in a calm and orderly fashion. This is a danger zone and is a great threat to your wellbeing if you stay here. This is now official police business."

Ash blinked at the man, before realisation struck him.

"Looker?"

Looker, shocked at the fact that someone knew his extra secret codename, looked down at the teen, before his eyes widened in shock.

"Mr Ketchum?" He asked, before his face dropped in annoyance.

"Please don't tell me you're involved in this. There's no way you're involved in **every** bloody international incident that I have to deal with." He muttered to himself, as he sighed into his hand with a furrowed brow.

'I can't be asked to deal with _another_ child prone to disaster. I'm not payed enough for this.' Looker lamented to himself tiredly.

Ash, however, looking equally aghast, just stared at him.

"Me? I'm sorry, but this trouble came after me. What are _you_ doing here?" Ash questioned, before a second person jumped into the ditch which Ash and Looker were crouching in, followed by the Espeon which had saved him a moment ago.

"Looker, we need to get moving. A number of those creatures are converging on this position, for some unknown reason."

Looker, in response, could only scoff as he pulled up Ash by his collar.

"Actually, I think I've found the reason." He shouted, while Ash just waved shyly, before he realised who he was talking to.

"Anabel? Is that you?"

Anabel's head snapped towards Ash, and when she looked into his eyes, hers began to widen and glisten as she recognised him.

"A-ash? Is, is that you?" She asked hesitantly, as tears began to form in the corners of her eyes.

Before Ash could respond, a surge of energy poured over the battlefield, knocking all of them several feet back before a thundering crack echoed out and caused the very ground to shift and break under their feet.

* * *

Latias was having _the best time of her life!_

After the battle started again and the Ultra Beasts attacked her and Ash again, she had darted forward with renewed vigour, her new body increasing her strength exponentially. She had never felt so powerful in all her life.

Psychic energy was flowing through her, allowing her to propel her enlarged body forward to new speeds she could never imagine herself reaching normally. The wind flowing through her short feathers felt amazing with the amount of pressure they placed on her, and she couldn't help but feel satisfied every time she created a sonic boom when she accelerated.

And she now was able to sustain attacks she could barely do before. Before she came to give Ash her reward, she had been trying to teach herself some new attacks, so she wouldn't be completely defenceless when defending the Soul Dew. While she had learned how to form the attacks, she struggled to sustain them for long enough for them to be useful.

Now she could fire them left and right without breaking a sweat.

But as she blasted another Ultra Beast with a Dragon Pulse, she couldn't help but frown to herself. Despite the extra boost that her Mega Evolution, and the Mega Evolutions of Ash's other Pokémon who were capable of it, they were still being overwhelmed, and if they didn't close those damn portals, everything they were doing now would be for nothing.

" _Well noted, young Eon. Which is why I need your help."_

Surprised by the voice coming from behind her, Latias rolled forward as she adjusted herself, raising a wall of psychic energy to try and shield herself from a surprise attack, only to find a floating blue Legendary looking at her with an amused look.

" _Oh child, so quick to act yet with so little thought. You have much to learn. But more on that later."_ Azelf reflected to herself, before gesturing behind her.

Following her gesturing, Latias noticed that Azelf had formed a little party of psychic Legendaries, considering of her brother, the fan-girl Mew, and Mewtwo (who definitely terrified Latias. After all, this was an unnatural super-Legendary who surpassed even some of the mightiest Legendaries in the Hall of Origin's council, which was a daunting thought).

But before Latias could think about why they were all gathered here, a few hundred meters above the raging battlefield, Azelf interrupted her thought process.

" _We're gathered here to try and end the battle, young Eon, a task which will require all of our psychic might."_

" _How will we do that? I know I'm not an expert, but surely there's no way to do that from our end of the portals. Unless you're planning on rushing through them."_ Latias replied, as she thought over their possible options. While she knew that psychic energy was essential for sustaining portals, especially ones of this strength, she wasn't sure what they could do without knowing how they are being held open.

For all they knew, there was a small army of Ultra Beasts who were dedicating their prowess to keeping the portals open for the rest of their kind.

Mewtwo, who had been observing the battle silently, took this moment to intercede by floating forward with closed eyes as he thought how to best explain their plan.

" _No, nothing so crude. Our plan is much more elegant and simplistic; we're going to combine our telekinetic and telepathic abilities to create a focused psionic wave which will resonate with the portal's electronic makeup, sending a neural feedback which will destabilise the energy field holding the portals open and causing any matter which has passed through them to return to their dimension of origin as they collapse in upon themselves; effectively ending the battle in one fell swoop."_

As he finished, he opened his eyes to take in the look of awe at their brilliant plan. Only to get a dumbfounded look from her.

"… _what?"_

Chuckling to himself, Latios floated forward.

" _What Einstein means is, we're gonna charge up a lot of psychic energy and blast it at the portals. That'll get rid of both the Ultra Beasts_ _ **and**_ _the portals."_

Nodding in understanding, much to Mewtwo's annoyance, she turned back to Azelf, who had been watching the exchange with Mew, both of whom were giggling at Mewtwo's unimpressed face.

" _What do you need me to do?"_ Latias questioned, a determined look setting onto her face.

Azelf simply smiled at her and pointed at Mewtwo with one of her tails.

" _Channel your energy through Mewtwo, he's the one most capable of maintaining that much psionic energy safely. We give him the extra energy, and he'll focus it into the portals."_

Now understanding her role, and not wanting to waste any more time, she simply flew up to Mewtwo and raised her claws.

" _Let's do this."_

As the others silently agreed with her, they hovered to position surrounding Mewtwo, and began bringing out their energy, with pulses of it occasionally escaping as it transferred from their hands to Mewtwo's body.

Mewtwo simply began to focus, absorbing the immense flow of energy and adding it to his own massive reserve of potential. The energy poured over him, heightening his strong senses to new heights, allowing him to feel the minds of every being on the battlefield. From the panic of Ash's weaker Pokémon, to the zealous mindset of the Ultra Beasts, to the level of sheer exhilaration from Ash's powerhouses; Mewtwo could feel it all.

After a brief moment of soaking in the psionic energy, Mewtwo began focusing it, mentally linking himself to the portals. There were three and a half dozen portals surrounding the battle, each one spitting out more Ultra Beasts, with the ones that had been knocked unconscious being dragged through by other Ultra Beasts, and Mewtwo focused on each and every one of them.

Once he had all of them linked to his mind, he began charging the massive energy surge into his hands, the three balls which acted as his extremities on his hands sending three focused beams of energy into each side of the energy sphere.

After a few minutes of this, Mewtwo opened his eyes, and glanced across the battle once more.

" _ **THIS ENDS NOW!"**_

And with that declaration, he unleashed the sphere, the burst of energy releasing a massive pulse of energy, shattering the earth below them with a shockwave of force. The energy was unleashed with a thundering crack, with multiple ripples and explosions being caused by every portal that connected with the wave.

And for a brief moment, there was silence.

* * *

Misty had to cover her eyes to protect herself from the cloud of dust and sand that came from the beach, before her Mega Gyarados circled around her with its tail.

She, along with the others who had managed to get together a fairly respectable group of battlers between them, had rushed back to the battlefield, having to barge their way through crowds of panicked citizens as they prepared to re-enter the fight.

But just as they got to the beach, they had been greeted with a large pulse of energy followed by a cloud of debris, instantly making all of them regret their moment of bravery.

As the dust cleared, the battlefield became visible again, Misty took in the situation.

Everyone who was still in the fight was getting back onto their feet, digging themselves out of the hills of sand which covered them and getting their feet back under themselves.

And some of them were Ultra Beasts.

Before the battle could restart, and before Misty could order Gyarados to Hyper Beam the nearest one, a new voice, one she didn't recognise rang out soundly.

"Guess who Ashkan!"

Mewtwo was shocked, as he saw the Ultra Beasts recover from the blast.

" _Why did that not work? The science was there! My logic was undeniable!"_

Mewtwo then felt a light flutter on his shoulder and saw Azelf looking down at the battlefield with disdain.

" _We failed, because we assumed these portals work like ones created by psychics. We never considered the possibility of a different method."_

As Mewtwo looked at the portals, which now looked very unstable, but still open, he thought this over.

They **had** assumed they were portals made with psychic energy, and there was the possibility that the trace of psychic energy they had sensed was simply the residual energy of interdimensional travel, so there was a possibility that they were made by different means.

This assumption had now cost them, since they had now wasted a good amount of energy on not very much.

Suddenly, he felt Azelf cringe, and turned toward the elder Legendary.

" _What's the matter? Trouble?"_

But Azelf simply shook her head, looking forward with an annoyed grimace.

" _Trouble isn't the word I'd use. I'd prefer; annoyance."_

Before Mewtwo could comprehend Azelf's cryptic words, a new voice echoed across the battlefield.

"Guess who Ashkan!"

* * *

"Hoopa?" Ash shouted, as the voice resonated in his memory. He remembered Hoopa well, and wasn't expecting to see him.

Especially since, according to Latias, he had already given Ash his gift by bringing all his Pokémon to Alola.

Which in hindsight, was possibly one of the best things that could have happened.

But in front of him, a golden ring appeared, and out of it floated Hoopa, who had a massive grin on his face.

"Surprise Ashkan! Bet you weren't expecting Hoopa! Are you surprised to see me?" He shouted, before flicking the hoop on his right horn, causing it to twinkle.

Before Ash could answer, or even question Hoopa, he simply turned away from Ash, towards the rest of the battlefield.

"This no fun. Hoopa no like big fight. Hoopa mix things up for Ashkan." Hoopa said with determination, before flicking his rings out with his arms. The rings floated out at a great speed, homing in on Ash's Pokémon. When they approached Ash's Pokémon, they flew through them, taking them to some unknown location.

And they didn't stop there, with the rings blitzing around the battlefield, taking in Ash's friends with a surprising amount of precision from a creation of Hoopa, and even heading to the edge of the beach and taking in Ash's friends from school, along with Misty and Ash.

'What are they doing back here?' Ash thought to himself, before he realised that the rings were now heading towards him.

"Wait, no stop…" Ash called out, before the portal ring engulfed him and Anabel, sending them to some unknown location.

With the battlefield now vacant of Ash and his Pokémon, Hoopa turned towards the Ultra Beasts, who were now looking at him with a shocked and confused expression.

Which brought out the biggest and cockiest smirk Hoopa could muster onto his face.

"Betcha didn't see that coming." He mocked, punctuating it with a wink before his rings returned to him, engulfing him before closing itself off, leaving the Ultra Beasts alone on the beach.

The lead Ultra Beast, who had been brushing himself off as he recovered from the blast, was now simply standing there in shock, unsure what to do.

Before rage took over.

"DAAAMMMMNNNN IIIIITTTTT!"

* * *

Hala finally reached the beach, out of breath and dripping with sweat.

While Hala wasn't an unfit man, running from his house close to the Melemele Island Shrine to Professor Kukui's house on the beach had taken a lot from him, and now he was regretting it. Especially when he had to pushed through a mob of concerned and terrified citizens, which had been an ordeal in and of itself.

But now, he was here, and he was ready for a fight, as he pulled out a Pokéball to weigh in on the fight.

Only to find the beach was abandoned.

There were definitely signs of a battle happening, the smoking craters and clouds of dust and smoke were clear indicators of that. But there wasn't a soul in sight.

Though it didn't remain like that for long, for only a few seconds later, the Tapus arrived in full-force. Only to encounter the same problem as Hala.

They hovered there for a moment, seemingly processing the fact that they had missed the fight, before breaking off, each Tapu flying in a different direction away from the battlefield.

Leaving Hala alone at the abandoned beachside.

He stood there for a moment, before sighing to himself.

"I need a cup of coffee."

* * *

Hey guys, TWoS here again, and once again I'm not dead (why does it feel like I say this with every messaged).

Sorry for my extended hiatus, I think this is the longest I've ever gone without updating this story, but I've just been stupidly preoccupied. From finding a job, to working on my dissertation plan, to starting my own personal projects; I've just been really busy. Good to be back though.

But yes, the first major fight is over, and I guarantee none of you saw this happening. And now, we can have some real fun.

Basically, Hoopa has sent Ash and his friends/Pokémon/acquittances to random places across the globe. They won't be alone, but rather in groups. I've done this because, despite my best efforts, I haven't been giving everyone some shine, so I've now broken it up so they're in groups, with each group having the right mix of members to push the story forward, especially elements that have been pushed to the side, and to just have some fun.

I've got most of the groups figured out, but I'm always open to suggestions. And not just who's in each group, but where these groups end up. After all, there's a lot of characters who I've let to introduce to this story, and this seems like the best, and funniest, way to do it.

As always, please leave me a review or send me a PM with your thoughts, I love getting feedback from you guys. Thank you so much for your patience with me and thank you for reading this story.

Also, as a side note, this story recently hit a **THOUSAND** favourites, which is insane. Thank you all so much for supporting this story, I love you.

Much love and see you at the next chapter – TWoS.


	19. Chapter 19

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 19**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Everything went dark for Ash, as the black void contained within the golden ring rushed over him, throwing him through a brief stupor as he lost his general bearings. For a brief moment, Ash felt like he had no sense of self. There was nothing but the void, an empty space which Ash spun through aimlessly, with no bearings of where he was or where he was going. But just as suddenly, flashes of light began to appear, forming around Ash to create what appeared to be a towering landscape; with huge mountains towering around him as he fell out of the portal.

And then he hit the floor. Hard.

Winded momentarily, Ash curled in on himself, trying his best to get air back into his lungs with multiple intakes of air, only to end up partially choking on them. After a few seconds, he got his arms under him and managed to push himself up, and took several deep, long breaths, which gave him the precious oxygen he was lacking.

Just as he began to slow his breathing, a heavy object crashed into his back, knocking him back down to the rocky floor again, causing him to yelp out in pain. Although, if Ash wasn't mistaken, the object which had just crashed into him also yelped as it collided into him.

Looking up from the ground, Ash noticed that they were in a mountain range, with one massive peak dominating the landscape, stretching up so high into the skies that it pierced the clouds themselves.

A sight that was oddly familiar to Ash.

But before he could put a finger on why this sight was so familiar and striking such a cord with him, a massive shape crashed down a few feet in front of him, sending a small dust cloud into Ash's face, followed by a shout of pain.

Ash sprung to his feet, throwing the object on his back off of him before hearing a second cry of pain, causing him to look back at that shape.

And to recognise her.

"Anabel! Are you alright?" Ash cried, crouching down to check on her.

As Ash helped pulled her to her feet, he turned back to see the other shape rising to his feet. It was his Goodra, looking scuffed up and exhausted from the battle they were just in, and still somewhat on edge as he spun around on his feet, eyes scanning for a foe to fight. After a brief interlude of scanning the horizon for charging monsters, Goodra somewhat relaxed, his tensed-up muscles beginning to loosen up, even if only marginally.

Suddenly, a small ball of flame dropped from the sky, hitting the ground and bouncing back up. The flame span in on itself, before suddenly cutting out and leaving an incredibly confused and lost looking Quilava looking back and forth.

A few second later, Latios floated down, the Eon Dragon clutching Ash's yellow tinted egg as he floated towards the other Pokémon, briefly checking that they were ok.

"Ash, what the hell just happened? Where are we?" Anabel asked, brushing dust off her two-piece suit as she picked herself up with Ash's help.

Ash didn't respond at first, looking around at the mountains before turning back to her with a confused look.

"Truth be told, I don't know. I _think_ I have an idea of where we are, but I could be wrong. I mean, I've only been to so many mountain ranges." Ash replied, before looking in the direction of the main mountain peak.

"If we're where I think we are, then we should start walking towards the mountain. There'll be a Pokémon Centre there and we can figure out where to go."

Anabel simply looked at him oddly, before reaching into her pockets.

"Or… we could just check using our Pokédexes? They do have an inbuilt GPS system." She explained while pulling out the small device.

But as the device booted up, it began to make unnatural noises, high pitched and hard on the ears, as the screen frazzled, and small sparks began to jump around the plastic covering, before turning itself off again.

Anabel stared blankly at the device before turning back to Ash.

"Or we could walk towards the mountain and try to find a Pokémon Centre. Let's do that."

Smiling, Ash held out his hand to Anabel, which she took with a blush on her face, and they began to walk towards the mountain peak.

"So, Anabel, what were you doing with Looker of all people?"

Anabel suddenly stopped in her tracks, relinquishing her grip on Ash's hand as she looked at him with wide eyes. Goodra, Latios, and Quilava, who had finally noticed their trainer was with them, were now staring at the two humans from a distance as they saw Anabel slowly putting space between herself and Ash.

"I, I can't say. Classified." She mumbled to herself, refusing to look Ash in the eye.

Ash frowned for a moment, before crossing his arms.

"Ok, I'm not dealing with that. I have Legendaries who are actively withholding information from me as it is, and now I have friends who have been kidnapped by weird alien Pokémon who are from the same place as the Pokémon attacking me, and even then, they're not telling me the _whole_ truth, despite what they try to say to my face. And I've had enough. So please, don't do the same thing. Not you, Anabel."

Anabel stared at Ash, tears glimmering in the corners of her eyes, as she stared into his eyes and began rubbing her hands together, before taking a deep breath.

"Ok Ash. I'll tell you."

* * *

Pikachu shook himself off as he walked out of the bush he had landed in. When Hoopa's portal ring had ran over him, Pikachu had been on the back of Swellow, blasting every Ultra Beast he could see with a powerful blast of electricity. But as soon as he entered the ring, he felt Swellow suddenly disappear from under his feet and was soon tumbling in the air.

Which was how he ended up in the bush.

But now that he had brushed himself off, he was busy taking in where he was. He clearly wasn't at Professor Kukui's anymore, with the beach they were fighting on now replaced with a flowery meadow consisting of row after row of bright red flowers covering the landscape. And in the distance, a massive wall of ice towered over a large lake.

But Pikachu wasn't focusing on that, but rather taking in several breaths with a contemplative look on his face.

"The air's thinner. That means we must be up high. Maybe on a mountain somewhere, that would make sense." Pikachu thought aloud, as he looked around and began taking in as many details as he could.

"Right, let's make a list. Flowery meadow: check. Ice glacier: check. Atop a mountain: check. Based on past experience; this is either a figment of my imagination, an alternate reality created by some Legendary, or Gracidea."

"Gracidea? As in the place where we saved Giratina?"

Jumping around to the new sound, Pikachu identified the sound as Buizel, who was also brushing himself off after having also, apparently, been dropped into a bush.

Relaxing somewhat, Pikachu began to scratch his ear as he made his way to the Water Type.

"Yeah, that place. There's not many places where a massive meadow can exist on the top of a mountain. I've seen one or two, but most of them were fake and conjured up. So, either this is Gracidea or we're a victim of mind games." Pikachu explained, before his right ear began twitching.

Spinning to his right, Pikachu was almost ready to attack again when he instantly stopped.

"It's ok Vulpix, you can come out." Pikachu coaxed, while staring at a nearby bush.

Nothing happened at first, but then the bush began to rustle, and walking gingerly forward was the Ice Type version of the fox-like Pokémon.

"Where are we Mr Pikachu? And where's my Mumma?" She asked quietly, before sneezing due to the pollen.

Pikachu chuckled to himself, muttering to himself about cute baby Pokémon before stroking the Alolan variation gently.

"Don't worry Vulpix, we're alright. Hoopa seems to have sent us all to random places. But knowing Hoopa, he's probably playing some kind of silly joke on us. Meant to annoy, not hurt. He wouldn't do that to his friends."

" _Are you sure about that? You speak as if you know how he thinks."_ A voice rang out in Pikachu's head, one he didn't recognise instantly.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one who didn't know who it was, as Buizel suddenly spun round and began charging up his newly earned Origin Pulse, balls of energy forming around him as they began to form into the powerful attack.

Pikachu, having a different idea, waved over to Buizel, before shouting out.

"Whoever that is, show yourself! Or, I'll let my companion here let loose! And trust me, you don't want that!" He yelled, hoping to gain the attention of whoever spoke to him, whilst also causing a vicious smirk to form on Buizel's face.

After a few seconds, a sleek shape appeared from the bushes, their slender legs and dainty paws practically gliding over the muddy ground of the meadow towards them. It was covered in a lilac coloured fur, which stood on edge as they slowly stepped forth from their hiding place. Who now stared at them with a pair of purple eyes, the white pupils focusing intently on Pikachu.

" _Long time no see Pikachu. When was the last time we saw each other? Kanto?"_

Pikachu stared blankly at the Pokémon, before turning to Buizel.

"Stand down mate, we're not in any danger. After all, last time I saw her," Pikachu explained, before turning back to the approaching Pokémon, "I practically crushed her single-handedly."

The Pokémon in question, a now annoyed looking Espeon, could only scoff at this.

" _Right… because knocking the lights out and attacking me in the dark is such a noble of battling. Would you care to enlighten us on how well you were doing at the start of the battle?"_

Pikachu just laughed at this, smacking his knee for emphasis.

"Oh, you want to go all righteous with the rules now? Talk to me about fairness when you were telepathically communicating with your trainer. I can't do that with my trainer, now can I?" Pikachu retorted, before closing the distance between himself and Espeon, who was now blushing at the accusation.

" _True, you may not be capable of that, but it is a skill we possessed which I made use of. Nothing to be ashamed of."_ She defended, while looking at the ground absently. Which Pikachu simply smirked at.

"Of course. And I, as an Electric Type, can knock out electric devices; including lights. Nothing to be ashamed of."

A brief silence was shared between them, before they both began chuckling at each other. Buizel and Vulpix, who had been watching the exchange silently, just shook their heads in amusement.

Espeon, after taking a moment to collect herself, simply looked at Pikachu with kind eyes.

" _I see you've gotten more mature since we last battled. Is that Vulpix your pup?"_ Espeon questioned, which caused Pikachu to splutter in shock.

"Wha, what? No, no, no. She isn't my pup. I mean, I do _have_ a pup, but I'm not sure where she is right now." Pikachu explained, before a white shape darted between them, grabbing Pikachu and dashing through the meadow before spinning around to face Espeon.

Pikachu, now on the back of Absol, who was glaring intently at the Psychic Type, simply scratching his ears and giggling to himself.

"Here she is. That works quite nicely."

Espeon simply stared at the Dark Type with wide eyes, before muttering just loud enough for the others to hear, _"Ok, I think we need a serious catch-up right about now."_

* * *

Sceptile was not impressed.

Not only had he been teleported away by that 'Hoopa' Legendary, in the middle of an attack on his trainer's life, but he was now in the middle of some random forest that he didn't recognise, with a number of his fellow Pokémon in Ash's family, isolated and potentially cut-off from Ash, causing him to revert from his Mega-Evolution, and with no information on what to do now. And that wasn't even the worst part.

The worst part was that he was stuck with one of the Nihilego.

This Nihilego was the one which had May in it, who was floating inside the jellyfish-like creature absently, with a glaze over look in her eyes as the Nihilego observed him and the rest of Ash's Pokémon who were with him intently. And that made Sceptile mad.

Especially since he had noticed a detail that Ash, and **no one else** had spotted.

Before he could act though, he had to take stock, and began glancing over his allies. Currently present, were a number of Ash's strong Pokémon, including Snorlax; who was actually awake for once (but was raiding a tree for its fruit), Greninja; who had reverted from his Ash-Greninja form, assumedly because he was too far away from Ash to sustain the connection (like with Sceptile's Mega Evolution), and Staraptor; who was checking over the one human who was present with them.

Speaking of the lone human, Sceptile racked his brain for this human's name as he observed her. She had a darkish-blue hair colour, which reminded Sceptile of the ocean, in a bowl-cut like style. And she was looking around frantically as she tried to digest the sudden shift in environment.

'You'll get used to it rookie.' Sceptile thought to himself, before walking over to Snorlax and elbowing him in the ribs, causing him to groan and look down at the Grass Type. Sceptile simply looked up at him with a serious glint in his eyes.

"Protect the girl, this might get violent."

Snorlax looked confused for a moment, leaning in slightly to properly examine Sceptile, trying to find some clue in his facial expression to give away his intention. Sceptile, in response, simply glanced quickly at the Nihilego, before looking back at Snorlax.

Understanding suddenly dawned in Snorlax, and he nodded in agreement before he began to bumble over to Lana, setting himself down between her and the Nihilego, but not dozing off.

Staraptor, who noticed Snorlax's placement between himself and Lana, looked over at Sceptile, who simply nodded towards Nihilego, before nodding back and taking flight. Sceptile then walked over to Greninja and patted him on his shoulder.

"Follow my lead, have my back if things go south. You with me?"

Not needing any further prompting, Greninja simply agreed silently, charging up a small amount of energy in his webbed hands which he could then use as an attack if need be.

Happy with this, Sceptile began to walk over to the Nihilego, who had now noticed the tall Grass Type walking towards him and was being slightly more active.

" _Champion of the Great Defender. It is good to see that I am still with allies. What is our plan of action. We must not be idle while the enemy move. Or they will wash over us in an unstoppable tide."_

Sceptile just looked blankly at him, giving him a dead-eye stare as he closed the distance between them.

"Yeah, we'll deal with that in a moment. But first, I've got an issue I want resolved. Because I've noticed something, and it's beginning to bug me." Sceptile replied, running a hand over one of the leaves which stuck out of his elbow.

The May-Nihilego tilted its blob-like head to the side slightly, running a tentacle over the space where a mouth would normally be, before returning to its normal stance.

" _Oh? And what issue would that be, Great Champion?"_

"So, when you approached my trainer, you mentioned that you couldn't speak in a language we could understand. That the noise you make when normally talking to us was that ungodly screech, and that's why you needed the bodies of humans. So we can communicate. Right?"

The Nihilego looked at Sceptile with a mildly confused look, before responding.

" _Yeeeesss… that's what we said. I fail to understand the issue here."_

"And this is something which you made a very strong point about making, going so far as to state as this being true for **all** Ultra Beasts. Correct?"

Greninja, who had been standing behind him, suddenly had a moment of clarity, before taking a step forward to be besides Sceptile and summoning a Water Shuriken. Staraptor, who had been hovering above them, landed beside Sceptile with a lost look on his face.

"What's your point Sceptile?"

Sceptile, who had not moved his gaze from the Nihilego, simply frowned.

"My point, is that that other Ultra Beast, the one who led the attack, had **no problem** speaking in a way which we could coherently understand. So, my issue, is that you lied to us."

Realisation dawned on his face, and even Snorlax, who had simply been listening in, was now on his feet and practically growling at the Nihilego, while Staraptor began tensing up his wings.

Sceptile simply took a step forward, invading the personal space of the Nihilego, who was now visibly recoiling in the face of the now very clearly angry Pokémon.

"And that leaves us with two important questions: Why did you find it necessary to take the bodies of some of Ash's close friends, the one which currently resides inside your disgusting body, and why, in Arceus' name, should we not crush you into the dirt for lying to us?" Sceptile questioned, while leaning in intently to Nihilego's face.

Beads of purple sweat were now forming on Nihilego's face, as it looked at the four Pokémon (and one very confused human) who were now ready to tear it apart.

And it had no doubt they would succeed: the display from the beach battle proved this. They were stronger, no doubt about it.

Raising its tentacles in order to try and calm down the powerful battlers confronting it, Nihilego began backing up.

" _Alright, we lied. You can understand us without the human hosts. But it was necessary for the plan."_

Sceptile didn't look impressed, and simply ignited his two Leaf Blades.

"Keep talking."

" _It was a tactical ploy to gain the Great Defender's trust. We_ _ **needed**_ _him to trust us, or else we would have failed."_

Sceptile narrowed his eyes slightly in response to this and raised one of his blades to the Nihilego.

"Why though? You've clearly been stalking Ash, or at least have found out enough to know who his friends are. Why did you need to have human hosts to talk to him, when he's known for being kind to **literally everyone!** " He yelled, rage bleeding more and more into his words as he kept on talking, causing Nihilego to flinch, before mumbling in response.

" _He cares for his friends. We hoped that having them as… hostages, would be good insurance to make sure he saved us. We cannot do this without him."_

This caused Sceptile's temper to flare up, the energy forming his Leaf Blade beginning to extend and cackle, small sparks of energy threatening to break off from it.

"Explain. NOW!"

" _The Great Defender is known as being kind and compassionate, yes. But he also has an anger to him. One that is born from his distaste for injustice. Our cause is just, but our methods, as you'll probably have figured out, aren't always justifiable. We feared, that if we told him everything, he would turn that anger against us. And we cannot afford that. We_ _ **need**_ _his help."_

Sceptile did nothing at first, leaving the air heavy with tense energy as everyone waited for someone to make the first move: everyone now stuck in a Mexican standoff.

After a brief moment, Sceptile finally spoke.

"Spit her out."

This caught everyone's attention, especially Nihilego's.

" _What?"_

"Spit. Her. Out. **NOW.** " He repeated with more intensity, rage filling his eyes.

Nihilego was silent for a moment, before responding.

" _I, I can't. Not readily, at least. It takes a concentrated effort on my part to do so."_

Sceptile simply scoffed.

"You think I care about what it takes? Either you _spit_ her out, or I'll **rip** her out of you. Your choice. I'm waiting."

Nihilego stared at Sceptile, before looking at the other Pokémon present. Staraptor and Greninja, while Sceptile was addressing it, had moved to its flanks, and with the tree that was at Nihilego's back, it left Nihilego trapped between three very angry Pokémon. And only a few meters away was a very large, very strong looking Snorlax, who was currently shielding the confused looking Lana with his lumbering form, and with a field of energy surrounding its fists.

It was clear what Nihilego needed to do.

" _So be it."_

And with that, Nihilego's body began to convulse, and May's body began to shift downwards towards the tentacles. The tentacles themselves began to shrink, as the black tar like substance began to dissolve into nothing, being replaced with a clearer version of the tar. Four of these tentacles began to fuse together, creating a single entity which flowed in the wind like a dress. And as May's body slowly receded from Nihilego, it's bell-like head started to change shape, looking more and more like a sun hat.

Suddenly, May's body dropped to the ground, and Nihilego flew backwards, bumping against the tree as it continued to spit out more of the black tar. The others didn't notice though, rushing to May's body and checking over her.

Lana, who had been watching the interaction between them and had no idea what was going on between them, ran forward and began inspecting her for injuries.

"Oh Arceus, are you ok? Please be ok. Is something wrong, why would Nihilego spit you out if nothing was wrong? What is happening right now?"

Snorlax, who had slowly closed the distance between himself and the others, looked at the recovering Nihilego with a pensive expression.

"Will she be ok?"

The Nihilego, who was still recovering from spitting out May, floated up somewhat and turned towards Snorlax.

" _She will, in time. We had to knock her unconscious for the fusion of our bodies to work without issue. She will wake shortly."_

While Nihilego was talking, a Pokéball on May's belt popped open, the light taking form before disappearing again, leaving a very **angry** Blaziken in place.

Blaziken looked around frantically, before noticing Nihilego and seeing red. His legs caught fire and prepared to leap into the air to strike Nihilego, before Sceptile jumped in front of him with his hands raised up.

"Woah, buddy. I know you're mad but trust me. We've got this under control."

Blaziken stopped in his tracks, looking between Sceptile and the Nihilego with a blaze in his eyes.

"You know this creature?" Blaziken asked, which Sceptile nodded to in response, causing Blaziken to get even angrier.

"You realise they kidnapped me and my trainer, right?" Blaziken questioned, earning another nod from Sceptile.

"Listen mate, I know it looks bad, but there's a lot going right now. Ash is at the centre of it again, we've all been randomly teleported across the globe, and believe it or not; these guys (technically) aren't the bad guys. It's a mess." Sceptile explained, rubbing his forehead as he did.

Blaziken stared at Sceptile for a good moment, before calming down and nodding.

"Ok, **you** I trust. But you better explain this to me. Or else I'll tear that thing apart."

Sceptile let out the breath he was holding, silently agreeing to do the same.

"You got it, where do you want me to start?"

Blaziken looked around for a second, observing the environment for a moment before turning back to Sceptile.

"First of all, where the hell are we?"

* * *

Meanwhile, in Johto, just outside the Safari Zone, a herd of Tauros was on the move.

It rushed forward, flowing past people, trees, and any other obstacle that appeared in their path, before stopping as a group in front of a sign. The herd observed it for a moment, before muttering amongst themselves.

"This is a Safari Zone, but not our one."

"This must mean we're in Johto."

"It seems like it's just us. Where's everyone else?"

"Where's Ash? He was the one being attacked."

"What do we do now?"

This muttering carried on for a long time, before the lead Tauros jumped on top of a nearby car before roaring to gain the attention of the herd.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE, LISTEN UP! WE'RE OBVIOUSLY IN JOHTO! THIS IS NOT A GOOD THING! WE DON'T KNOW WHERE ASH IS, AND WE'RE ON OUR OWN! SO, OUR CURRENT PLAN WILL BE THIS! KANTO, IS TO THE EAST, WITH THE CLOSET TOWN IN KANTO BEING PALLET TOWN! WE HEAD THERE, FIND PROFESSOR OAK, AND THEN WE'LL SEE WHAT WE'RE LEFT WITH! UNDERSTOOD?"

The herd of Tauros all roared their approval, before turning around to face East. The lead Tauros jumped off the roof of the car, taking his place at the front of the herd.

"FORWARD!"

And with that, the herd was on the move again; though this time they had a destination.

* * *

Hey everyone, it's TWoS again, with a surprise upload.

I wasn't expecting to get this one done so quickly, but all of the elements I included in this chapter I had fully planned out already from last chapter, so it didn't take that long to put together. Which means I could get it out really quickly, which is always nice.

This is just the start of what I have planned, with the main set of characters being separated from one another and forced into groups. Some of the groups will have great synergy, allowing them to quickly act, others will immediately have problems which they will have to resolve before making their moves, and others will simply be not used to working with each other. There'll be groups with members who work well together, groups with members who should interact more, and groups with members who will challenge each other and give them some form of character development.

But no matter what, it'll be a lot of fun.

I've got a lot of the groups planned out, but if there's anyone you want to interact with each other, whether it's because you'd find it cool, interesting, or just whatever you like. I'll try my best to bring them to life, so long as they fit into the story.

As always, I love it when people review, so please leave your thoughts. Whether it's simply the fact that you liked it, specific parts you liked, or any constructive criticism you think I need. All of it is appreciated, and I enjoy interacting with everyone, so please do review.

I can't say for sure when the next chapter will be, especially since I'm starting university again now. I'll try my best to upload soon-ish, but I can't make any promises.

And like usual, much love, and see you in the next chapter – TWoS.


	20. Chapter 20

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 20**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Butterfree was beginning to remember just how much trouble his old trainer got them in during their old travels as he hovered in the air steadily, on the watch for any potential threats.

When the portal wielding Hoopa, who Ash obviously had already met, decided to throw them all into portals and fling them across the globe, Butterfree's equilibrium had been completely thrown through a loop, causing Butterfree to lose control of his flight pattern and crash straight into the ground.

And narrowly avoid being crushed by Gigalith, who fell next to Butterfree a few seconds later.

Currently, so far as Butterfree could tell, there were only four of Ash's Pokémon who was with him, himself included. Currently, Gigalith and Corpish were arguing with each other about what had just happened, and Noctowl was scouting the area from the air. Butterfree had been tempted to join him but didn't want to leave the others alone on the ground, so instead opted to hovering above them, observing the environment for clues as to where they were.

The area they were in was like nothing Butterfree had ever seen. They were on the edge of a massive mountain, overlooking a great stretch of ocean which separated the landmass they were standing on from another island, an island which seemed to be home to an incredibly well-developed city. Despite being so close to the edge of the cliff, the ground beneath them was incredibly stable, and covered in shrubbery and plant life, with several tall oak trees doting the cliff line. But that wasn't what really stood out to Butterfree.

That honour belonged to the bridge.

Connecting the two masses of land was, what was quite easily, the largest bridge Butterfree had ever seen. It stretched out for miles and towered over even the skyscrapers of the large city. It seemed to go on forever, being so long that it soon disappeared behind a different section of the island they were standing on, beginning to curve around to attach itself to an obscured part of the island.

"It's amazing," Butterfree muttered to himself in a whisper, as he absorbed the sight and burned it to his memory.

"Indeed, a most glorious sight."

Butterfree span round in the air, charging a Whirlwind, before letting the energy dissipate when he realised it was Noctowl, who was simply observing him with a curious gaze.

"You're surprisingly jumpy around us, Mr Butterfree. From what I had heard from those who had met you prior, you were an incredibly brave Pokémon. Has parenthood changed that?" Noctowl questioned, while perching himself on a branch.

Butterfree willed himself to calm down, before addressing the shiny Pokémon.

"That's easy, I'm not use to dealing with a lot of you."

Noctowl at first simply didn't react, staring at Butterfree with a straight face before frowning.

"Dealing with us? I fail to see how you'd struggle with that. You previously travelled with the likes of Charizard, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur. What would be difficult about us?"

Butterfree simply sighed, before turning back to the glorious sight of the bridge with a sad look.

"I think you fail to understand, that while they may have spoken highly of me, I wasn't there for nearly as long as I should have been. I was Ash's first catch, and the first to leave. When I decided to leave with my love, Charizard was still simply a Charmander. When I came to Alola thanks to Hoopa, I was elated to see Ash again, but was shocked to see how much that, well, **everything** had changed."

Butterfree paused, looking down at the other two Pokémon with them as they shouted at each other, observing them as they argued about… something to do with the current situation.

"Ash had changed, not in how he acts or thinks, but in smaller ways. He's… more collected, more precise. He's still occasionally bumbles, but he's sure of himself in ways that simply weren't true when I knew him. He was young, ambitious, and, quite honestly, arrogant."

This caused Noctowl to shuffle slightly on the branch, as he tilted his head, but said nothing, in order to allow Butterfree to continue.

"When I travelled with him, he would constantly go on about being 'The Greatest Pokémon Trainer', and that's what drove him. But he lacked the skills to back it up, as he was inexperienced. But he got better. And that's where I feel estranged. When I left, he was still a learner, getting better but still far from his goal. Now, it's been nearly four and a half years, and Ash is a much more competent person. He's growing into a man."

Butterfree stopped again, a small smile beginning to form as he thought over the changes that had befallen his past trainer.

"Since I've left him, he's become an incredibly competent battler. The battle with that boy Paul showed that to me. He was smart, he played to the strengths of the Pokémon who was battling, and he reacted well to different situations. When I battled with him, he was a rigid battler, using the same strategies simply because they worked before, and would crumble whenever he was introduced to a new tactic or move. The change may not as apparent to you, but to me, it's almost as if he's not the same person anymore."

Butterfree then turned to Noctowl, flying closer towards him to speak again in a quieter, more gentle tone.

"And that's not even going over the amount of Pokémon he has now. Ash has always been a caring person, and the fact he has caught more Pokémon in the years since I've left isn't a real surprise. But there's still such an incredible amount of you though, it's… shell shocking. When I left Ash, he had a full team which dropped down to a team of five when I left. And now? There's forty of us."

Noctowl looked away momentarily, thinking this over while Butterfree continued.

"And that's not even going over the deal with the Legendaries. While I've always known that Ash was special, I would never have guess he'd ever get involved with Legendaries, much less like this. And now, we've been transported to some region I don't recognise, on the run from creatures which apparently have some form of grudge against the Legendaries, and we're probably going to be hunted down."

Butterfree shook his head before dropping down to where Gigalith and Corpish were, who had stopped arguing to listen to Butterfree's rant, and began to take several deep breaths.

After a moment, Corpish scuttled forward to sit alongside Butterfree, before patting his back.

They were silent for a moment, before Butterfree finally managed to compose himself.

"I'm sorry for that, this is just a massive shock. Barely three days ago, my biggest concern was what food I was going to forage for my family. And now? Now I'm dealing with this," Butterfree muttered to himself, before looking up at Noctowl.

"This is all new to me, and I don't know what to do. So I'll refer to you, and your experience on this matter. What's our plan?"

This caused Noctowl, and the others, to be taken aback slightly, before he collected himself and nodded.

"Right then, let's do this. We need to get back to Ash, so first we need to figure out where we are. Anyone recognise this place?"

Gigalith, who had been silent for the exchange, stepped forward.

"We're in Unova. I recognise this place, or at least the bridge. It's Skyarrow Bridge, which connects Castelia City to Pinwheel Forrest. I remember Leavanny telling me about it, because Ash caught her in this forest. And considering we're not in the city, we must be in the forest."

Nodding, Noctowl flew down from the branch.

"Then we know where we are, and where we can go. If there's a city nearby, there's a Pokémon centre nearby. We can try and use that to get into contact with someone and reunite with Ash. If that doesn't work, we'll at least be somewhere where we can get food and shelter. Good plan?"

The others nodded determinedly, and the four soon began to begin their trek to their end of the bridge.

* * *

'Well, this isn't how I planned my holiday going,' Paul thought dryly to himself as he watched Ash's redhead friend go insane.

He didn't know what to expect when he followed the Kanto Gym Leader back to the battle, especially since she had done stuff like this before at a common enough frequency to take it in stride. But he certainly wouldn't have guess that he'd be thrown through a portal along with everyone else who was siding with Ash, to be shunted to a seemingly random location on the globe with no way to contact each other.

Thoughts drifting back to communication, Paul glanced at his Pokétch, which had been sparking ever since he went through the portal. For whatever reason, the portals seemed to have disabled all technology which contained the function or ability to allow long range communication, leaving them all stranded and lost.

Something which the redhead was all too keen on having a rant about.

"I SWEAR, LEGENDARIES ARE SO **STUPID**! THEY CAN'T SEEM TO DO ANYTHING BY THEMSELVES AND WHEN THEY DO, THEY MESS EVERYTHING UP! USELESS, GOOD FOR NOTHING, ASH-DEPENDENT IDIOTS!"

Paul couldn't help but chuckle as she paced back and forth, the Pokémon that had landed with them following her movement with their heads as they kept their distance.

'And he used to complain about _my_ attitude.' Paul thought to himself, before turning his attention to the Pokémon who were sitting in a line.

Apparently, it wasn't just the humans who were sent through the portal, with several of Ash's Pokémon being sent with them. At first, Paul had taken this as a cue for Ash to show up, but despite searching the nearby area thoroughly, there was no sign of him or any of his other Pokémon being here. Meaning they were stuck with the group they had present.

Not that Paul minded, since he still had his Pokémon on hand. While he hadn't had time to switch out his team, the team he _did_ have were very reliable. He had Gliscor, a tough airborne battler who could potentially take out a stronger opponent with his Guillotine, Ursaring, a wall who could be used to take down entire teams if used correctly (as a certain battle with Ash had once shown), Aggron, a strong yet surprisingly versatile battler with a surprising move set, Electivire, a skilled all-rounder battler who had a wide plethora of skills to call upon, Drapion, an absolute monster who couldn't be taken down with brute force or surprise attacks which made him the most difficult to face, and finally Weavile, a quick and agile slasher, good at cutting large opponents down to size.

Overall, a very reliable team.

But the Pokémon of Ash's who had arrived with them were a strange mix, some of them being complete surprises to Paul, especially for a trainer like Ash. First and foremost being Azelf, the Legendary embodiment of Willpower. Paul had been deliberately avoiding thinking about the fact that this Pokémon was with Ash from the moment he spotted it hovering around Ash during their battle. It was simply too much to take in, so Paul had ignored it. But now, all he could think about was the fact that one of the Pokémon, who had stories based on it which Paul remembers being told as a child, who helped form the human conscience is one of his rival's Pokémon.

Just… what?

And the other Pokémon that were here were interesting as well. There was a Pidgeot, who had reverted from its Mega Evolution form when they fell through the portal, which was something else that Paul found amusing. Ash, apparently, had access to Mega Evolution. And yet he didn't use it in his battle against him? Either Ash had been holding back on him, or he had just gotten access to it and didn't want to take the risk.

An interesting development, to be sure.

There was also a living Pokédex, which apparently had a Rotom in it? Paul didn't even want to go into that can of worms. And there was a Primeape, who looked eager to punch _literally_ anything in the face, and a female Unfezant. An interesting mix of Pokémon to be sure, and ones who would certainly be helpful in their current predicament.

But that would have to wait, as there was something else that Paul wanted to address first.

Or rather, _someone_ else.

Standing off to the side, nursing a flask that he had produced from his trench coat, was a lone man who Paul didn't recognise and was also watching the redhead pace back and forth at the moment. And Paul didn't trust him; **at all.**

He just seemed shifty, with the way his eyes kept changing focus; watching the redhead pace for a moment before switching to observing Ash's Pokémon, most notable Azelf, before turning to look at Paul himself, which didn't last long as soon as he notices Paul's gaze lingering on him and immediately switches back to watching the ranting Gym Leader again.

He clearly wasn't a friend of Ash's, he just didn't act like it. Ash clearly had a type when it came to people he trusted, which even Paul could figure out, especially after meeting his new friends he had made in Alola. He befriended people who shared his philosophy of befriending Pokémon, and who valued them as individuals rather than purely as battlers, like Paul use to. This was why he got along with the doctor-oriented Brock, and soft-hearted and caring Dawn. This was why he and Ash, at first, just didn't get along.

This guy did not have that feel to him.

Not only that, but he didn't seem to want to interact with anyone, preferring to say nothing and not draw attention to himself. Which made Paul feel extremely anxious. When he did that, it was because he didn't want, or know, how to interact with others. Least of all the outgoing, excitable individuals that Ash associated himself with. But this guy was _choosing_ to ostracise himself and was almost watching them like a predator.

Clearly, he knew something. And Paul was going to find out what it was, but he needed help to do so.

Fortunately, he had plenty of that.

Pushing himself off the tree he was leaning on, Paul walked across the small area they were gathered in, crossing the path of the redhead and stopping her mid-rant. He stared at her intently, causing her to get red in the face to match with her hair.

"What? What do you want? In case you haven't noticed, we ain't got time for you to be pretentious and moody. So either do something helpful or move!"

But Paul said nothing, instead just motioning his head towards the trench coat guy, smugness beginning to bleed through once he saw the spark of realisation appear in her eyes. He now had an ally.

Not needing to say anything more, she sidesteps around him and begins to close in on the trench coat guy, with Paul spinning round to join her. The present Pokémon begin to realise that a confrontation is about to go down, and begin to space out, circling around the guy who was now looking somewhat apprehensive as the redhead turns her anger to him.

"You. Who are you, how do you know Ash, and what do you know about the Ultra Beasts?"

The man's eyes widened at this, before he glanced at the small Legendary. They share a look, which Paul found interesting, before Azelf nods and the guy lets loose a sigh.

"I cannot give you my name, for it is classified. But you may call me Looker. Special Agent Looker, of the International Police. I am charged with protecting this world from evil and misdeeds, including those acts of the foul Ultra Beasts. This has led me to cross paths with Mr Ketchum multiple times before. Honestly, I'm both surprised at the fact he's involved, and at the fact that I'm shocked about it."

This caused everyone to nod for a moment, everyone agreeing to that consensus.

"And what I know about the Ultra Beasts? That is classified information, which I cannot divulge to children." He explains, seeming confident in his statement.

Misty, however, wasn't impressed.

"Right, ok. I'm not having that. Primeape," Misty calls, gaining the attention of the Pig Monkey Pokémon, "please pummel this guy until he tells us what he knows. We haven't got time for his cutesy special agent act."

Primeape simply smirked under his fur, smashing his fists against each other as he stepped forward toward the police agent.

Who was now very much panicking.

However, his saviour came in a rather surprising form.

" _That's enough, there's no need for that. Mr Looker will be more than happy to divulge this information to us, or more accurately, to me. Isn't that right?"_ Azelf said calmly, giving Looker a measured look as she waited for his response.

Looker stood there for a moment, looking between the Psychic Legendary, the short-tempered redhead, the other Pokémon who clearly respected her enough to obey her despite not being hers, and the purple haired boy who had instigated this entire encounter. After weighing his options, he let out a sigh and looked Azelf in the eye.

"Ok, I'll tell you what I know. But remember, this is classified beyond belief, and repeating this information to anyone except myself, my companion, or, in this situation, Mr Ketchum himself, will get you thrown into a maximum-security prison." He warned.

But when he didn't get a response beyond a few blank stares and an eye-roll, he carried on.

"The Ultra Beasts are here because of the Legendaries. We don't know why exactly, but it's safe to assume they're here for revenge. And so far as the International Police know, the only people who know the full truth besides the Legendaries themselves, are the Aether Foundation."

* * *

Meganium settled down in the well-kept garden with her egg nestled between her legs, as she took in the sun's rays as she caught her breath.

After leaving the safehouse during the battle, Meganium had been caught up in multiple battles while searching for her trainer, each one wearing her down more and more. When Hoopa had sent her through a portal, she had almost been glad as it finally allowed her to take a breather.

She had been surprised however, when she had found herself in a somewhat familiar location.

"Meganium! Lunch will be ready in a minute! I'll bring it out for you!" Delia called out from her kitchen, where she was making food for all the Pokémon who had arrived at her house.

Meganium had, along with her egg, Leavanny, Scraggy and Togedemaru, been teleported to their trainer's house in Pallet Town. For what reason, Meganium didn't know, but she was glad regardless, because if there was anyone she wanted to be there right now to help her recover from the battle, it was the caring and capable hands of Delia.

But it was a short reprieve, since in the back of her mind, Meganium knew she wasn't done yet with this fight. Ash was still in danger, and now she had even less of an idea where he was. But Meganium also knew that she couldn't do anything in her current state, so decided that, for now at least, she would allow herself to heal up before throwing herself back into the fray.

She was dragged out of her thoughts when she noticed a slight nudging against her hind leg. Looking down, she noticed that there was a small glow coming from below.

"What in the world?" She wondered, before a loud bang happened, causing her to jump up.

In the place of her egg which had been resting with her just a moment ago, was a small Pokémon with a green coloured bowl-cut hair on its head, with a flowing dress covering its slender body. And on the top of the green bowl-cut was a pair of red horns, one facing forward and the other backwards. And while it stood there looking forward blankly, a small field of energy surrounded it, holding pieces of broken egg suspended in the air.

It was a Ralts, and Meganium suddenly discovered she had something in common with Charizard.

"If anyone tries to hurt you, I will **destroy** them."

She was brought out of her shocked stupor by a high-pitched squeal from beside her.

"Oh aren't you just the cutest little thing?" Delia cooed, her eyes watering up from the sight of the new life. She turned to Meganium and smiled warmly.

"Congratulations, you're a momma. I'll be right back, I just need to get my camera." And with that, she placed down the tray of food she had brought out on the floor before disappearing, leaving Meganium standing there in shock.

"I'm a momma…"

She slowly approached the Ralts, easing herself down next to the Ralts, who naturally laid back against her leg and fell asleep, the pieces of egg dropping down as it relaxed. Looking down at the small Pokémon, Meganium couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you, Ash, for everything," She whispered, tears dripping down her face and a huge smile on her face. Never, had she felt so blessed.

* * *

Cianwood City is a relative quiet place most of the time. While there is usually a fair bit of commotion down at the docks due to the regular trade that happens there, it became a part of life there, where anyone could make an honest living and nothing out of the ordinary happens.

Today however, was not a normal day, because at the docks, by one of the larger boats which normally would transport specialised construction vehicles to and from the city, was a large herd of Tauros, all making a lot of noise by one of the boats.

Much to its Captain's annoyance.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT! LEAVE ME ALONE, I'M TRYING TO SET OFF MY DAMN BOAT!"

The Tauros didn't seem happy with this, with a few of them even being bold enough to leap straight from the dock to the ship before sitting down peacefully.

Looking between these Tauros, and the rest of the herd, the Captain managed to put two and two together.

"You guys want a lift to Olivine City?" He asked incredulously, which got a unanimous roar of agreement from the Tauros.

Shaking his head, the guy just shrugged at the herd.

"You know what? Fine. I'm gonna get something to eat from the chippy, and you lot can jump onboard while I do that. We'll head off when I get back."

Content with this, the herd began trying to coordinate itself enough to board his boat, with the Captain slipping past. As he made his way back to the town to grab some food, he stopped as he noticed something that was undoubtable caused by the same herd which was hounding him.

In the middle of the main highway for the town, was several knocked down lampposts, crushed newspaper boxes, and flattened cars; all of them clear victims to the determined horde.

But that was not the Captain's problem.

"I'm gonna need a beer as well." He muttered, turning away from the destruction to get his food with a newfound determination. He was gonna need it if he was gonna deal with that herd for the next few hours.

* * *

Hey guys, TWoS here again, with another chapter.

This is a bit of a shorter chapter, in that not as much happens here. I've introduced three more of the groups, and each of their personal goals, and with each group being an opening to another avenue of the story; be it a potential character or story threat.

I wanted to experiment a bit in this chapter, giving a lot of character development to characters who don't really get a lot of it in my experience. This will set up future events with these characters, as well as just provide some interesting insight for this world which I wanted to include.

As usual, I really appreciate any feedback you can give me. Especially since I found out that I can actually write responses to guest reviews, which has only taken me a year to figure out. My bad. But yeah, I love getting reviews, both good and bad, since they are the main indicators of whether I'm doing good with this story or not. Any feedback is good feedback, and I just interacting with you lot. So please, leave me a review or a message if you have the time.

Also, I'm very aware that a lot of people are apprehensive about what I'm doing right now. I know there's a lot that could potentially go wrong, and that it's a delicate situation, so if you have any questions, I'll try and answer them to the best of my ability without spoiling what I have planned. So feel free to ask. Also, there will still be gifts from Legendaries, they'll just happen less often for a good while. Just so everyone knows.

Regardless, thank you for reading this chapter, much love and see you next time – TWoS.


	21. Chapter 21

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 21**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Krookodile shivered as he and his little group trudged through the thick layer of snow, cradling an exhausted Dewott as he dragged himself forward.

After falling through the portal, Krookodile had been quick to try and figure out who he was with and where, which he was fortunately able to do quite quickly. The group he was in was surprisingly small, with only five on them in total. As well as himself and Dewott, who had (rather amusingly) landed on his head as he tumbled out of the portal, Krookodile had found himself with Charizard, the Eevee he had become a father to, and Muk. While Krookodile didn't know how he felt about being left stuck with a kid in the middle of nowhere, he was happy that he had both Charizard and Muk supporting him, both of them being incredibly strong and dependable Pokémon.

Dewott was also a fairly dependable battler when the occasion called for it, but Krookodile would never admit that.

He had also been able to quickly identify where they were: Twist Mountain. While he didn't know exactly where they were on the mountain, he would recognise _that_ peak anywhere; after all, it's the only peak that's constantly surrounded by snow clouds.

Using this knowledge, he decided to try and lead the group to a potential safe haven, since there was no doubt a habitable area they could restock at nearby. After all, the mountain was notoriously popular for training, so the local Pokécentres had gone out of their way to install cabins where trainers could rest and recover. Otherwise, they were in huge trouble.

Turning to check on the rest of his group, Krookodile began to appreciate just how much trouble they would be in if they didn't get any medical attention soon. Both Charizard and Muk were covered in cuts, gashes, and bruises, and their movements, even when considering how the thick layers of snow slowed them, seemed sluggish, their wounds taking their toll on the powerful pair of battlers.

While the last battle had been hard on all of them, the two of them had been right in the thick of it, arguably even more so than Krookodile himself, something he was loath to admit. Muk had been acting as a sponge for punishment, tanking all kinds of attacks from the strange creatures during the fight only to give his all back. He had even been shielding the more vulnerable members of their family from surprise attacks, keeping them going against the monstrously powerful beasts.

Charizard, on the other hand, had just been a monster. He had bodied so many of the beasts on his own, his experience and raw power just shining through as the battle wore on. Krookodile could have sworn that he had seen him rip off a claw from one of the creatures and proceed to beat it to unconsciousness **with** the ripped off claw. And that was before his had Mega Evolved.

Something that Krookodile was still slightly jealous about.

But even the smaller members of their group were bearing their own marks of battle. Dewott had pushed himself to the brink of collapse during the fight and was incapable of supporting his own body weight. And even the little Eevee was lying limp in Charizard's arms, its fur matted, and dirt covered.

Which highlighted just how badly they needed medical attention. But there was something else on Krookodile's mind.

"Oi Charizard."

Charizard, who was struggling to keep his head held up as he trudged through the snow, managed to raise his head to look at Krookodile.

"What do you want?" He mumbled, readjusting Eevee in his arms.

"Ya kid, what is it?"

"… what?"

"Ya kid, is it a lad or a lass? Didn't get to ask earlier."

Charizard gave Krookodile a level stare, looking for any discrepancies in Krookodile's face to try and see if he was mocking him, which Krookodile reasoned was fair enough. After all, in their spare time, since he couldn't beat Charizard in a proper battle, he tended to try and wind him up a lot of the time. He still had to try and beat Pikachu after all, and he had a type advantage there.

'I wonder how hard it'll be to beat him now?' Krookodile mused, before having his thoughts interrupted by Charizard's response.

"Boy. He's a boy."

Krookodile didn't say anything more, just nodded and kept pushing forward, doing his best to try and ignore the freezing temperatures. After a few more minutes, Krookodile spoke again.

"I wonder what he'll evolve into?"

This was met with silence at first, before Charizard began chuckling, throwing his head back as he tiredly laughed. Muk, rather surprisingly due to how silent he was in more discussions, also began to laugh, before finally Krookodile joined in as well, all three of the conscious Pokémon laughing together as they pushed through the consistent snow storm raging around them.

After a few more moments, they reached a small chasm in the stone walls surrounding them. It took them a moment to fit their large bodies into the small gap, but they managed to squeeze through. And on the other side of the chasm, they found their lucky break.

In front of them was a clear area, shielded from the harsh weather conditions of Twist Mountain by tall walls of stone and ice. There was a small cabin at the back of the clearing, and an active fire was in front of it, with a line of washing hung up next to it and the scorch marks of battle being clearly evident. They had found their salvation and could finally relax.

Krookodile went to put Dewott down, so he could work out the cramp that had been forming in his arms, when he was suddenly slammed into by a blur, being sent to the side of the clearing and crashing into the wall, his glasses falling off and sliding with him.

The others sprung straight into action, with Charizard instantly roaring out a challenge to the attacker before charging up a Fire Blast. The blur, in response, span round and fired a Flamethrower in his direction, with the two fire type attacks clashing into each other. Charizard, always eager to meet a challenge head-on, propelled himself into the air, using his foot to push himself off the ground. But before he could catch himself with his wings, his injuries suddenly apparent, causing Charizard to wince as he dropped straight down into the dirt.

The blur seemed to take advantage of this, and launched forward, sparks coming from its right side as it closed the distance between them. Before it could land its strike, Muk threw himself between them, the electricity laced strike pushing through his slimy body before springing back, sending the blur crashing backwards, allowing it to be visible as it slowed down enough for their eyes to track.

Standing up from the crash, was a proud looking Dragonise, who was eyeing the group up angrily as it growled at them, before charging up another Thunder Punch. But before it could launch itself forward at the tired battlers again, a familiar voice to Krookodile rang out.

"Dragonite! What are you doing? STOP!"

The Dragonite in question stopped, the charged-up energy around its fist dissipating as it obeyed its trainer. A trainer that Krookodile knew really well.

"Geez Dragonite, I appreciate you're trying to defend us and all, but wait until they actually look like a threat before tearing into them," Iris said with a measured voice, as she looked over the group carefully. She seemed to be watching Charizard the most, gauging how bad his injuries were based on how she seemed to be following every scratch with her eyes.

"They look really hurt," She thought aloud, before turning to the cabin, "Emolga! Bring the first-aid kit!"

Literally a second later, a small squirrel like creature, with yellow wing-like flaps connected to her arms, came running out carrying a box that was bigger than her, bringing it to Iris before running back inside, slamming the door behind it.

Shaking her head at her lazy electric type, she turned around and began to approach Charizard, with Dragonite tensing up to strike if he tried anything.

Not that he would.

"Ok, I'm going to dress your wounds, they're gonna get infected otherwise. Is that ok?"

Charizard simply looked at her, raising an eyebrow at her before handing over the still unconscious Eevee. This caused both Iris and Dragonite to stare blankly for a moment, shocked by the show of trust.

"Erm… I'm surprised you're letting me touch your pup. I appreciate the trust, but that's weird for a Charizard." Iris said, more to herself than Charizard, who simply scoffed at her before letting his head drop to the floor.

Krookodile decided that this was the best time to clear things up for her, picking up his glasses as he picked himself up. He began walking over to her, placing his glasses back on, before Dragonite stepped between them.

"Don't even try it."

Krookodile simply glared at him, his patience being worn thin.

"I know it's been about two years since we last saw each other in person but come on. You really don't recognise me?"

Dragonite simply narrowed his eyes in confusion, before they widened in shock.

"There we go, now you recognise me. Couldn't have done that **before** smacking me into a wall." Krookodile muttered, pushing past the shocked Dragon type before reaching Iris, and tapping her gently on the shoulder. When she turned to look at him, he flashed her with his best smile.

It's safe to say, that she figured out who he was much quicker than Dragonite did.

"Krookodile? Like, **Ash's** Krookodile?" She asked with a pitch voice, which Krookodile nodded in response to, before she looked at Charizard again, "then that means you're Ash's Charizard."

Charizard nodded as well, or as well as he could considering that he didn't lift his head off the floor. Muk took this opportunity to bring the now stirring Dewott to Iris as well, placing him gently next to her before curling in on himself. All of which she watched with fascination.

"Ok, someone needs to explain what's going on here."

* * *

Latias was lying in a bush, and she had no intention to move from it anytime soon.

Her body was aching something awful, from both physical and mental stress. The last battle had taken a lot from her, especially the psychic surge of energy which she had contributed heavily to. The only reason she was still conscious after exerting that much energy during the battle was because she was Mega Evolve at the time.

Speaking of Mega Evolution, Latias noticed that she had lost her transformed form, and was back to her smaller, more delicate self. Which, based on what little she had learned about Mega Evolution from Lorenzo at the museum, meant that she was either too far away from the source of her Mega Evolution, or that source had been knocked out or killed.

And her source for Mega Evolution was Ash…

" _ASH!"_

Latias launched herself in the air, frantically looking around before stopping, as she realised where she was.

" _Alto Mare?"_ She asked aloud, as she took in her surroundings. Because there was no doubt about it, she was home. The way the buildings around her were designed, the large pool in the middle of the space she was, and the sound of Pidgeys ringing out proved it definitively: there was no place like home.

Speaking of the space she was in, looking around in detail, she could see that this space was none other than the secret garden she had grown up in. In the distance, at the other end of the garden, was the swing where she revealed her true form to Ash, and the pedestal where the Soul Dew was.

This sparked a question in Latias' mind, something she had not yet considered during her time in Alola.

What exactly was there now that Latios had been revived?

But before she could ponder on it for too long, her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of another.

"Erm, Latias, where are we?"

Turning to face the person addressing her, she was surprised to see Lillie, who was timidly hiding behind her hat, as she stood a good few meters away from her. But she did manage to remind Latias of how she got here.

" _Hoopa,"_ she confirmed aloud, which just left Lillie looking confused.

"Hoopa? I thought that was a Pokémon, not a place?"

Latias couldn't help but giggle at this, before shaking her head.

" _Sorry, I was thinking out loud. We're not at Hoopa, he is simply the one responsible,"_ She explained, which got Lillie nodding along in understanding as she continued, _"No, we are at Alto Mare, in Johto. This, both the town and this very garden, is my home."_

" _Then may I say, that it is truly beautiful."_

Latias and Lillie both jumped, before spinning round and finding Mewtwo hovering there, observing the area with a small smile gracing his face. Behind him, following him from where he must have landed after being teleported here, was Totodile and Lapras, with the small crocodile-like Pokémon telling the larger water type a story enthusiastically.

"This place is great! Water everywhere for us to swim in, and they hold races where you pull your trainer along. I did it with Ash last time but got too excited and got lost. It was fun though!"

Latias smiled as she thought back to the race Totodile was talking about but decided against telling him that he didn't get lost but was actually dragged off course by her and her brother. He didn't seem too bothered by it, so she didn't see the point.

But now that Mewtwo was here, Latias saw an opportunity to delegate.

" _Mr Mewtwo, could you possibly explain to Lillie what's going on please? I need to check something quick."_

Mewtwo looked at her curiously, probably questioning in his mind about what she needed to check, but didn't press for it, simply nodding and floating over to Lillie. Glad that Lillie was now being tended to, she darted off the Soul Dew, as panic began to take grip.

When she got there, she already noticed a huge difference compared to when she last saw it. Before she had left for Alola, she had said her goodbyes to her whole family, including Latios' soul, so the mental image she had was very recent. And in her memory, it looked like someone had trapped a star inside a marble.

But this, this was something else, something far more complex. It looked like an entire galaxy had been created inside the marble, with swirls of light and energy constantly swirling round inside, giving off a sense of life which was near undetectable before. And it was **bright.**

Reaching out gingerly to touch it, Latias hesitated before steeling herself, pushing herself to touch it. But the moment her claw touched it, her mind reeled. Images starting to flash through her mind, imprinting themselves into her mind. She saw an image of the Soul Dew in the Hall of Origin, followed in quick succession by images of Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygarde, the three Lake Guardians, Ash, herself and Latios, before a lingering image of Arceus filled her mind. As this image burned itself into her mind, she saw what seemed to a link of energy between Arceus and the Soul Dew, with a different beam of energy pulsing into a separate orb floating to the side.

And then the image was gone, leaving Latias hovering there in a confused state as she stared at her claw.

" _What in the world?"_ She asked, before a nearby door swung open.

"Grandpa! I'll be back in a minute, I'm just checking on the Soul Dew!" Someone shouted out, as they walked out the door, revealing to Latias one of her closest friends.

" _Bianca!"_ She squealed, before slamming into her and bringing her into a bone crushing hug.

Through gasps of breath, Bianca managed to wheeze out, "Latias? What are… you doing… here? I thought… you were in… Alola?"

Letting go of her friend so she can breathe, Latias simply smiled.

" _I've got_ _ **such**_ _a cool story to tell you. But first, let me introduce you to some friends of mine."_

* * *

Ash and Anabel were walking side by side, with Ash's small selection of available Pokémon following just behind, trying their best not to look like they were eavesdropping. And failing quite spectacularly.

Anabel was breathing steadily as she recollected the events that led to her joining the International Police UB Task Force, including her first encounter with an Ultra Beast.

"I was training, preparing for another challenger for the Battle Frontier. After you beat the Frontier, it got insanely popular, with multiple league competitors deciding to try their luck against us. Some wanted to improve themselves, others wanted to overcome the challenge, much like you did. There were even a few who battled us because they thought we'd be easy opponents, and constantly bragged about how weak we must be to have lost to a child like you."

This made Ash frown as he thought about the implications of this. There were people out there who were judging his abilities without even meeting him? That got under his skin in a way that he couldn't even describe. But before he could linger on these thoughts, Anabel continued with her story.

"And that was when it struck. Came out of nowhere, when I was in the middle of giving a telepathic command to Espeon. All I heard was some shouting and then a sharp pain in my head. All I saw then was black. When I woke up, that man Looker was standing over me and my training field was now a scarred battlefield."

She stayed silent for a moment, rubbing her arms against each other as a chill ran through her body. Ash also remained silent as he ran the described events in his head, trying to map out what happened. He thought it through for a moment before speaking up.

"The Ultra Beast, the one that attacked you, did you see it?"

Anabel looked at Ash curiously for a moment, studying him before answering.

"…no, I didn't Though apparently, it was the Ultra Beast with the designation 'Symbiont'. It was trying to merge with me according to Looker. After that, I joined the International Police on a pat-time basis, using my spare time to investigate the creatures that tried to attack or abduct me. Though it would seem that I'm not the only one they've taken an interest in."

She turned to see Ash's reaction, only to see his brow furrowed as he thought with an intense concentration. She was about to ask him what was troubling him when he suddenly muttered to himself.

"Symbiont? That's not a word. What Ultra Beast is that? Are people just making up words when they name things now?"

Anabel blinked while Ash was thinking aloud, watching as his brain tried its best to churn through the problem he had thought up for himself.

And she started giggling.

'I forgot how dense he is. It's stuff like this that makes him adorable.'

But before she could stop laughing at him, he stuck his arm out, causing both her and the group of Pokémon who were following behind them to stop. When she did stop, Ash pointed off in the distance.

"I knew it, this **IS** somewhere I've been before," Ash proclaimed, a smug grin on his face as he turned back to Anabel, "Anabel, guys. Welcome, to the Mt Silver Ranger Base."

As he told the others where he was, a loud roar shook the valley they were in, causing everyone to spin around. The majority of the group took up defensive stances, charging up moves to defend themselves and each other with, and Anabel drawing one of the Pokéballs she had on hand.

But Ash? Ash just broke out into a massive smile as he recognised the one who had drawn their attention.

"Larvitar!"

* * *

'It's such a nice day today.' Sumomo thought to herself, as she carried a kettle through to the main hall where they were holding a tea ceremony.

This tea ceremony was one that the kimono sisters have been holding every month, a slight change from tradition, but one they felt was necessary. Due to the increase of Legendary appearances across the globe, including that of Lord Lugia of the Orange Islands, they felt that they needed to respond in kind to this rise of interfacing with their lords. So, they have decided that, in order to both appease Lord Ho-oh of the Bell Tower and to reassure the townspeople of Ecruteak City, to change their traditions to help reassure people in this time of change.

And so, they have been opening up the Dance Theatre for monthly Tea Ceremonies, where they would inform people about the delicate relationship between people, Pokémon, and the Legendaries, invite people to join their prayers and worships, as well as interact with the local community.

So far, it had been a success. People were reassured, so when it came up in the news that there had been another Legendary appearance in Alola, they had managed to remain calm. They _did_ have to move this particular Tea Ceremony up a week however.

Sumomo was interrupted out of her musings by the sound of banging on the Theatre door, someone who presumably had a heavy hand when knocking. She took a moment to straighten out her Kimono before making her way over to the door and opening it.

Only for her jaw to hit the floor.

"What in the name of Lord Ho-oh?"

There, right in front of her, was a herd of panting Tauros, all of whom were waiting patiently behind their herd leader, who was sitting right in front of the door, and Sumomo. When he saw her, he grunted gently while dipping his head in greeting.

Sumomo was, suffice to say, suitable confused.

"Hiiii, is there any way that I can help you?" She asked politely, which the Tauros herd seemed to light up to.

The lead Tauros neighed at her, nodding behind her at the just visible tea set she had been setting out before he had knocked. Catching what he was looking out, Sumomo looked between the tea set and the lead Tauros multiple times before asking, "Would you like some tea?"

The Tauros nodded politely, before making a loud noise which got the attention on his herd, who then proceeded to file in nicely into the theatre.

Doing a quick head count, Sumomo realised one thing very quickly.

"I'm going to need more teacups."

* * *

Sup guys, TWoS here.

I've managed to get another chapter done, and much quicker than I thought. I managed to both introduce some new groups for us to follow in this chapter, as well as briefly return to a few other groups as well. I know I was very brief with the returning groups, but that's because I'm trying to introduce all the groups as quickly as possible. Once I've introduced all of them, I will be able to switch between them more readily, which will suit the story better, especially with what I've got planned.

Now, I know that this new direction with the story has been met with mixed reception, and for those that don't like this new direction, I politely ask that you try and stick it out. I know this is a very different beat for the story, but I haven't abandoned the original premise, simply giving it a break to try and do other things with the story, as well as to try and do more with the characters. When they're all in one massive group, it's hard to give everyone time to shine. So, by doing this, I feel I can give more people the shine they deserve; both from fan favourites to underrated characters. So, I know this may be disconcerting for some readers, but all I can ask is that you stick it out.

Regardless, I want to thank everyone for being patient with me with this new direction. I wanted to try something new and wasn't sure about how people would receive it, so thank you to everyone who gave it a go. Even if you didn't like it, I appreciate those of you who gave it a go. I'm eternally grateful for your support.

As always, if you could leave a review, then that would be fantastic. I love interacting with you guys and getting feedback on my story and writing style, so please, try and leave a review. I respond to every one of them.

Anyway, thank you for my newest chapter, much love and see you next time – TWoS.


	22. Chapter 22

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 22**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Espeon stared at the Icey Glacier that loomed over the horizon, blankly taking in the cracks and splinters that stretched out on the vast surface of the glacier. Espeon absently noted in the back of her mind that there seemed to be a large collection of these splinters near the bottom of the glacier.

But she didn't dwell on it for long as she was too busy digesting what she had just found out about Pikachu. Turns out she didn't know him _nearly_ as much as she thought.

He had a pup. The pup, an Absol who seemed to radiate potential just like her father, who was only a few days old and already seemed incredibly powerful. But that was someone only the **second** most shocking thing she had learnt.

She shifted her gaze slowly to the electric mouse, who was in the middle of detailing everything that had happened to him, his trainer, and his extended family over the past weekend. His pup, the Buizel who seemed itching for a fight, and the Alolan Vulpix who was hooked on his story despite having probably been there to see it for herself, were all sitting around him as he went on, all blissfully ignorant of her look of shock.

"And then we had the Weather Trio show up, and Groudon and Kyogre just could not, for the life of them, stop arguing with each other. And it would have been funny, but I was too busy with trying to avoid being possessed again to enjoy it. Did I mention I was once possessed? Hell of an experience, let me tell you that. Even in my life," Pikachu prattled, continuing with his recollection until Espeon closed the gap between them and placed her paw on his mouth.

" _Sorry to interrupt, but I just have one quick question,"_ Espeon stated calmly, managing to keep herself composed as Pikachu nodded in response. Espeon then moved her paw away, took a deep breath before looking Pikachu dead in the eye.

" _YOUR TRAINER IS THE CHOSEN ONE!"_ She shrieked, a weak wall of psionic energy pulsing out, causing everyone to jump back in shock and to be covered in a thin layer of dust. Deep breaths now racked her body, as she stared incredulously at the yellow mouse.

Pikachu looked at her blankly for a moment, before a spark of realisation flashed in his eyes, as he began to rub the back of his neck.

"Well, yeah… he's been the Chosen One for much longer than I've known you. We found out in the Orange Islands actually, told by Lugia no less," Pikachu responded, taking small steps back from the wide-eyed Espeon, "And then it just became a recurrent theme honestly. I lost count of how many times Ash has been integral to some kind of prophecy or something. Makes you forget that it's not normal sometimes."

Espeon didn't say anything at first, nor did she move a muscle. The only sign of movement or even acknowledgment was the movement of her eyes, as they darted from looking directly at Pikachu to observing the reactions of the other Pokémon who was quietly watching the exchange. This remained the same for a moment, before she finally moved, taking a deep breath before looking at Pikachu with a sad smile.

" _And here I thought I had a strange life following my trainer. How foolish. But I don't envy you,"_ She muttered, refusing to look Pikachu in the eye while she spoke, _"and right now, it doesn't matter. If your trainer truly is the Chosen One, then things are much worse than I feared. And we need to start moving; now."_

Pikachu frowned at this, but then realisation dawned on him.

"The Ultra Beasts. I take it that's why you're here?" He asked, earning himself a brisk nod before he carried on, "Then we've wasted enough time. We're heading north." And with that, he turned on his heel and began walking in what seemed like a random destination with no goal in mind.

Much to the shock of his companions.

"Yo, Pikachu, where are you going? Shouldn't we talk before we start making a trek to some far-off location?" Buizel asked, as he dusted himself off. But Pikachu just turned and grinned at him cheekily.

"No need. Because if we're in Gracidea, then all we need to do is find a Shaymin. And I know _exactly_ where they'll be."

* * *

Arceus paced her throne room repeatedly, in a silent rage which left the air feeling heavy and tense, and the few that were present couldn't help but wish they were anywhere _but_ here.

Uxie had remained after giving her report on the Ultra Beasts to Arceus in order to recount the information she had garnered to Mewtwo, who Arceus had summoned literally seconds after getting this information. And even after relaying this information to him, Uxie still did not leave, not wanting to be alone in this tense time.

Also present in the room was a group of Pokémon who Uxie had not seen for an age, being Pokémon who she had assumed had gone extinct due to the ever-present challenge of time. She had heard the story about their revival and their confusion-fuelled rampage that followed shortly after. An event that also, surprise surprise, involved Ash in the resolution.

Uxie was shocked, truly. As shocked as she would be to find her hand wet after sticking it in a puddle. It was just _so_ unheard of.

The five time-forgotten Legendaries had reported to Arceus a few weeks after they had created their nest, pledging their services to her again. While she had been surprised to hear they had returned to the fold, she had graciously accepted them, making them return to their duties of maintaining balance. Starting with trying to re-establish themselves into the world by building up their nest.

Why Arceus needed the five Genesect was something which escaped Uxie.

Her musings were interrupted by the grand doors to the Throne Room were forced open, introducing the rude arrival of one of her more… aggravating peers.

"Hoopa surprised everyone!" He proudly proclaimed, gaining the attention of everyone in the room, and earning a heavy sigh from the tired Alpha Pokémon.

" **Hoopa, what do you want? I'm waiting for Mewtwo to report back on the condition of the Chosen One, and I'd rather not be disturbed. So unless it's something of critical importance, please hold your tongue."**

Hoopa seemed to stall for a moment, before reaffirming his confidence and carrying himself forward to close the distance between him and Arceus.

"Oh? So Arceuskan no wanna hear how Hoopa saved Ashkan and friends?" He questioned, a trace of cockiness in his voice as Arceus noticeably piqued up at the mention of the Chosen One, something which also earned the attention of the five Genesect and Uxie herself.

Though Uxie couldn't help but notice that the previous heavy and tense air had been replaced with a subtle but violent energy, making Uxie feel nervous. Even though she wasn't even involved in this conversation, just a bystander, every self-preserving instinct she had was telling her to run and **hide.**

" **The Chosen One? What, exactly, do you mean by,** _ **saved,**_ **him?"** Arceus asked with a level voice, which Uxie knew from experience meant that she was literally a hair-trigger away from exploding.

But Hoopa carried, seemingly blissfully unaware of this fact. Or perhaps revelling in it.

"Ashkan and friends were fighting hard, against weird Pokémon Hoopa didn't know. So, Hoopa helped," He explained, looking more and more smug as he recounted in his strange speech-pattern the events that had apparently occurred.

" **And what, pray tell, did you DO?"** Arceus questioned, each word becoming more and more laced with anger, as her façade began to crack due to sheer annoyance.

"Hoopa sent Ashkan and friends away from the fight, to places important to Ashkan. Now Ashkan can have fun instead of fighting." Hoopa finished, placing his hands on his hips and holding his head up proudly, clearly waiting for some kind of positive response.

He did not get one. Not at all.

Instead, Arceus simply began staring into the distance, her eyes now glowing with unrestrained power bleeding through them. She remained silent for all of five seconds, beyond she exploded.

" **DAMN THE ULTRA BEASTS AND THEIR INFERNAL PORTALS! DAMN THEM TO THE REVERSE WORLD!"** She roared, before firing a beam into the ceiling. The beam torn straight through the marble ceiling with no resistance, despite the ceiling being several feet thick and reinforced with the power of creation. As the marble shattered from the sheer force, large slabs of it began to fall, crashing into the ground around Arceus, who now was literally _steaming_ with pure rage. Her red pupils began to bleed into her green irises, leaving her with pure red eyes, before she stalked over to the Genesect.

" **FIND THE CHOSEN ONE! AND HIS TEAM! ALL OF THEM! BRING THEM TO A SANCTUARY, AND DESTROY ALL WHO THREATEN HIM."**

The Genesect, who had been trying their best not to cower in the face of Arceus' godly rage, simply folded up into their high-speed forms and flew up, putting as much distance between them and Arceus as possible.

Arceus then rounded on Hoopa.

" **Hoopa, do you know where you sent them?"** She asked with a barely restrained tone, with Hoopa hesitating now that he had seen Arceus' response to his 'epic' story.

"Erm, Hoopa doesn't know. Hoopa did it randomly. Hard to track that many Pokémon at once, so Hoopa didn't try. Hoopa sorry."

Arceus said nothing, simply closing her eyes, tightly.

" **Hoopa, before I lose my patience, I want you to leave. And to try and find Ash and his friends. I then want you to take them to a sanctuary ordained by either myself or one of the Creation Trio. Do I make myself clear?"** She asked but didn't get a response. All she heard, was the sound of a portal being opened and shut in rapid succession, and when she opened her eyes, Hoopa was long gone.

Turning to face Uxie herself, Arceus took a deep breath before speaking again.

" **Apologies Uxie, I'm aware of how you dislike my fits of rage, regardless of whether they're appropriate or not. But I have a task for you,"** She started, causing Uxie to calm down a little bit as she calmly spoke to her.

" **I need you to find the Deoxys for me. Their help will be essential in the near future."**

Uxie nodded her understanding, turning slowly and making her way towards the doors which now cracked and shattered from the shockwave of Arceus' blast. But as she was leaving the room, she could hear Arceus, who had paced to the other side of the room, mutter very quietly to herself, in a depressed tone that Uxie had never heard from her before.

" **Please be alright Ash. Please don't become another victim of my mistake."**

* * *

Kukui took a sip of the tea that had just been given to him as he took in his surroundings with a sense of awe that he hadn't felt in a _very_ long time.

He was in Professor Oak's lab.

 _The_ Professor Oak's **laboratory.**

He had been here before of course, but that was back when he was a travelling trainer, aiming to take on the Indigo League and it's Elite Four. He had visited it shortly after he had been defeated by Lance, while looking for inspiration for what to do next with his life. It was _here_ , that he had decided to become a Professor of Pokémon, focusing on the one thing he felt needed studying: Pokémon moves and what ones are the most effective.

Of course, things had changed since then; he was no longer a defeated trainer looking for a purpose. He was a renowned and respected Pokémon Professor for an entire region, who had helped reform many people's understanding of Pokémon moves and what makes them work so well. His opinions now held value on their own, and his insight was often sought out by both trainers and other Professors, including the esteemed Professor Oak.

Speaking of the legendary Professor, he was in the middle of scouring his books for a piece of information that might be useful in this situation. And while Kukui wouldn't ever admit it out loud, it was satisfying to see such a knowledgeable person seem both flustered and incredibly frustrated as they combed through book after book.

"Where the blazes was it? That infernal book is always disappearing when I actually need it. But when I don't need it? The damnable tomb just seems to be everywhere, especially under my feet!" He rambled, more to himself than to his guests, which greatly amused Kukui.

It also amused the other guest who had arrived at Professor Oak's lab with Kukui through Hoopa's portal, who was actually the reason for why Oak was looking for the book in the first place.

"OK, I GIVE UP! WHAT DO MEWS EVEN EAT?"

This declaration caused the small pink cat-like Legendary to giggle incessantly, causing her to spin round constantly. Even Kukui started to laugh out loud, with tears quickly forming as he bent over with laughter.

He quickly brushed them away though before anyone could see.

"Just give her something with a lot of sugar, she seems to have a sweet tooth Professor."

Oak stopped ranting for a moment, before looking over at Kukui with a small smile on his face.

"Why thank you my boy, that's quite helpful," He said, turning and pouring a cup of tea for the Mew, before dumping several spoonsful of sugar into it, making it sickeningly sweet for any human, but just right for the Psychic Legendary. She took to the tea earnestly and began lapping it up like a cat would milk from a saucer.

"So Mew, from what I've heard from my colleague here, you're rather fond of young Ash. And I've also heard you're one of the more vocal of the Legendaries out there, so I was wondering if I could inquire as to why?" Oak questioned, while sitting himself down opposite from Mew, notepad and pen in hand.

Kukui moved himself closer and leaned up against the wall, trying not to draw attention to himself but paying full attention to what the Legendary might say. While he knew, especially after this weekend, that Ash was a special and incredibly kid, knowing the exact reasons as to why Legendaries seemed to take to him so easily was something he couldn't ignore.

Mew stopped lapping up the tea for a moment, before looking thoughtfully into the tea as it settled. She remained motionless for a good moment, before her tail flicked and she looked up.

" _It's a bit more complicated than that if I'm being honest. It's less about being fond of him, or at least it is in my case."_

Mew went to continue, before Oak raised his hand, causing her to stop and tilt her hand at the greying human.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I must admit, I am surprised to hear you being so _concise_ with this. I would of thought that Mew's wouldn't be able to focus on constructing a solid sentence, given their normal curious nature."

Mew seemed to consider this, as she floated upside down and began stroking her chin, before spinning back upright to face Oak again.

" _Honestly, I don't blame you for that. Us Mews are commonly distracted, this is a fact we are well aware of. It's one of those flaws about yourself that you just accept, like a human admitting that they are not of a certain body shape. It is something that they cannot help, but something they cannot ignore,"_ Mew explained nonchalantly, before turning serious again, _"But while we are easily distracted with_ most _topics, there are some we can dedicate ourselves to entirely."_

Mew then began to count off her fingers, looking into the sky while she went through them. _"The balance of nature, the states of near-extinct Pokémon species, the guidance of untempered psychics, and the relationships between the other Ancient Legendaries. These are some of the usual topics which Mews can wholly focus themselves on. And this is the reason why we're still an important part of Arceus' world."_

Oak considered this, before raising an eyebrow and leaning into his hand.

"And what does this do with Ash? I can understand why some other Legendaries might consider him important, especially since Ash has saved a lot of them. But what does that have to do with you?"

Mew began to blush profusely after this, staying silent and simply trying to cover her cheeks with her paws, which were simply too small to accomplish the task, before responding quietly, _"He's one of my focuses."_

Oak began to smile, nodding as he closed his eyes.

"I understand, since Ash has been such an important influence on the world, one of the more influential Legendaries charged you with watching over him. It would make sense with the number of Titles he seems to have accumulated in his journey."

To both of the human's surprise, Mew simply began blushing harder, her pink fur now a very noticeable red.

"… _actually, I'm just a really big fan of him."_

The two Professors, who between them must have at least a half dozen doctorates to their names, blinked blankly at the being who basically qualified as being a Demi-God as she admitted she was a fan of a fifteen-year-old trainer from Pallet Town.

"… I'm sorry?" Oak questioned, though it half came out as a slight wheeze. Which seemed to give Mew a huge spark of excited energy.

" _Are you kidding me? How could I not be a fan of him? He's amazing!"_ Mew shouted, floating right up to within an inch of Oak's face, before floating to the centre of the room, _"He's one of the youngest trainers to repeatedly qualify to Pokémon leagues. And he constantly places in high positions, nearly winning in several occasions! I still stand by the thought that that trainer in Sinnoh who used the Legendaries shouldn't have been allowed to enter, Ash would have definitely won that league if it weren't for him."_

Mew stopped for a moment, taking a brief moment to catch her breath and for the redness in her face to calm down.

" _Sorry, I kind of get worked up over that. I was there in Sinnoh actually watching that particular match, and even though it gets on my nerves that he was allowed to participate when he clearly had an overpowered team. Really screwed over the other trainers,"_ Mew admitted, before a sparkle began to form in her eyes. _"And yet it just shows how good a trainer Ash is! He was the only one in the entire tournament to lay low that pesky Darkrai, and then took out a Latios as well! Truly an amazing example of what a trainer should be."_

Mew ended this mini-rant with a cross of her arms, as if she was trying to challenge the two men to disagree with her. But Oak, who was regarding the Mew intensely, wasn't massively interested in that, as he seemed to have realised something much more important.

"Are you… are you a fangirl?" He asked, before his eyes widened as he realised that he had asked out that out loud. Mew, who only a moment ago seemed to exude confidence in her argument, began to fall apart as she began to blush and stutter.

" _N-n-no. I, I mean, I do_ admire _him as a trainer. But, like, he's also, erm, the Chosen One, and a high-level trainer, and, err, also, somehow, a_ _ **really**_ _nice person. It's really cool how he always, and I mean always, tries to help people. So, I, I_ _ **guess**_ _you can call me a fan."_ She managed to get out, as she began to wrestle with her own tail, wringing it nervously while Oak continued to stare incredulously at her. After a moment, she dropped her tail and exploded.

" _Ok, FINE! Yes, I'm a fangirl. Ash is undoubtedly the best trainer. He can take literally any Pokémon and make them a formidable battler. He can achieve things in days or weeks that have taken other trainers_ _ **years**_ _. He genuinely cares for his Pokémon and view them as a family rather than as tools. And_ _ **all**_ _of his Pokémon are interesting. Even his Snorlax, who spends most of his time just sleeping!"_

Mew began to just continue ranting aimlessly, beginning to go on about every one of Ash's Pokémon and why they were so much more interesting than other trainer's Pokémon, even when they were the same species. Oak, meanwhile, was staring blankly as he listened to Mew go on and on about not only the notable battles that each Pokémon had been in, but the little things about each Pokémon like how Bulbasaur, despite being one of the smallest Pokémon due to not evolving, was the caretaker of the Ranch and helped keep things running smoothly. And how his Muk, despite being one of the more aggressive Pokémon who'd commonly side with the multiple gangs in the world, was a very gentle and loving Pokémon, who was always eager to hug those he cared about.

And while she was doing that, Oak began to notice a common detail amongst her recounts.

"Wait a minute, how do you know what happens on the Ranch?"

Mew stopped, her eyes wide as she realised her mistake. She stopped and floated down to her cup, taking a few quick laps from it before mumbling an answer.

" _I may or may not have moved my nest nearby and visit the Ranch every day to observe Ash's Pokémon, only taking breaks to go and visit Ash whenever he has an important battle."_

Oak just stared blankly, before shaking his head and rubbing his hand through his hair exasperatedly. "Of course Ash has an obsessive Legendary after him. He has obsessive Pokémon already, it was only a matter of time before a Legendary started doing it."

Kukui took this moment to step forward, placing his now empty tea mug on the table while he leaned in towards Mew.

"I've got a question. If you're such a fan of Ash, and have been for so long, why haven't you let him catch you?"

Mew looked at Kukui, tilting her head slightly as she pondered this, before pulling her tail close to her and cuddling it. She hugged it quietly for a moment before she responded, her voice barely higher than a whisper.

" _It's not that I don't want to be caught, I'm just worried that Ash won't want_ me _because I'm not a strong battler."_

This caused Kukui to frown, and while Oak poured him another cup of tea, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"You honestly think Ash would care about that? This is the kid who gives his Pokémon the **choice** to evolve. If he really cared about nothing but strength, you really think Pikachu, or Bulbasaur, or any of his Pokémon who made that choice, would still be who they are today?"

Mew remained silent, floating there in silent contemplation, which Kukui couldn't help but smile. But before he could continue, the door to the lab opened up, revealing a flustered Delia with Scraggy in her arms.

"Hey Professor, do you have any towels? Meganium's egg just hatched?" She asked, walking past Kukui and Mew as she began to scour Oak shelves. She found a small pile of them near the back window and grabbed them before heading back to the door. "Oh yeah, you and your friends are invited round mine, we're holding a baby shower. Bring something with you, bye."

As she left, she left the three in attendance to stare blankly at where she just came in and disappeared, before Mew responded.

" _I've always wanted to go to Ash's house."_

* * *

Mahogany Town was a quiet place most of the time, with very few people coming to visit the secluded location. But the people of the town were grateful for that, preferring the serene quiet and tranquillity that came with so few people visiting the town.

Today, they were reminded why they liked the quiet.

"WE WENT THE WRONG WAY!"

"HOW COULD WE GO THE WRONG WAY? ALL WE HAD TO DO WAS SOUTH!"

"HONESTLY, WE SHOULD HAVE ASKED THE NICE TEA LADY FOR DIRECTIONS!"

At the edge of the town, crowded round a map posted on a post for the few travellers who came to the town, was a massive herd of Tauros, and they, despite having done nothing but make noise and almost knock over the map, had managed to annoy the entire town. This had left for the town to glare in their direction, too polite to say anything but waiting intently for the moment where the Tauros herd would just **leave**.

One of the Tauros stood up on their back legs, before they started stomping on the sign.

"Right then, it seems we've, somehow, managed to go East instead of South. So, here's the plan, we're gonna backtrack the way we came, go back to Ecruteak, and **then** we'll head South. We can then figure where to go from there. Good?"

The herd roared their approval, before they stormed off into the distance, leaving a cloud of dust and a group of annoyed townspeople in their wake.

* * *

Hey everyone, its TWoS again, and I'm not dead.

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, and I'm really sorry that it's so short. I know this chapter doesn't focus on a lot on the groups, but I wanted to cover these topics real quick, as they'll become more important in the future.

Ash being the Chosen One and other people's opinions on that is something I kinda wanna delve into, and I decided to do it with someone who at least familiar with him before doing it on a bigger scale, a test run if you will. It's an interesting topic which gets overlooked a lot, so I wanted to give it a try. The segment with Arceus is something I really wanted to talk about, since she has been acting behind the scenes, like with Mewtwo joining the fight, but I wanted to have a more direct show of how she's affecting the story. And the segment with Mew is both a chance to delve into her character, something people have wanted for a while, and a bit more appreciation for Ash's character.

Sorry this chapter may be a bit underwhelming, especially considering how long it took to get out, but I'm very busy at the moment with university and work. I'm working on my dissertation as well as multiple other projects, which leaves me with very little time for this story I'm afraid. So, thank you for being so patient.

As always, if you could leave a review or PM with your opinions, that would be amazing. We're nearly at a thousand reviews, which on its own is an amazing thing, and that's not even taking into account everything else. So, thank you everyone, I'll see you next time.

Hope you stick around for the next chapter, much love, see ya in a bit – TWoS.


	23. Chapter 23

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 23**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Noctowl was beginning to regret their plan of action, if he was being honest with himself.

While making the journey to the Pokémon centre was undoubtable the most logical thing for them to do, there was a lot of details which he had completely to failed to even acknowledge, never mind consider when making this plan.

Primarily, their movement speed.

With Gigalith and Corpish on the ground, they were reduced to a snail's pace as they trekked through the forest to the bridge toll gate, forced to limit themselves to their walking speed as to not spilt the group apart. Noctowl could probably carry Corpish if he needed to, but there was no way in any dimension or in the name of any legendary that he, or Butterfree (the other flyer reduced to a mere hover), could so much as attempt to lift Gigalith.

He liked Gigalith, but that just wasn't happening.

At least they were good for conversation, which made the long trek somewhat tolerable, as he listened to the various exchanges the other were having. Noctowl didn't say or contributed much himself, preferring to just listen as they shared their stories to each other. It was enlightening.

Gigalith and Corpish were both sharing their personal experiences with Ash to Butterfree, updating him on Ash's growth that they had experienced and some of the battles they had. They spoke of the places they had seen and the gyms that they fought and, Noctowl's personal favourite due to Butterfree's continuous shock and surprise, their encounters with Legendaries. It was strange to see the venerable Butterfree, the first caught Pokémon of their family and the one spoken of so highly by the likes of Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Pikachu and even Charizard, be so shocked by something that was practically routine for them.

In return, Butterfree shared his own stories, telling them of tales of Ash as a beginner trainer, and how he differed from now. Pikachu would occasionally hint at this when asked, something which Noctowl had actually done during one of Ash's returns during the league breaks at the ranch, but he never went into details; annoyingly. But now, he was getting the full story, and it was a great thing to hear.

They listened as Butterfree spoke of his experiences as a Caterpie, of how Ash had somewhat struggled to catch, and how he was happy to have succeeded, despite him being a _mere_ Caterpie. He recalled how Misty, Ash's first companion and the one they were most familiar with, if only because she would usually make time to visit Ash at Pallet Town whenever he wasn't travelling, was absolutely terrified of him, and that to this day she had never physically touched him.

And then he went on about Ash's earlier exploits as a trainer, which was, if Noctowl was to put it lightly, hilariously embarrassing. From Ash's simple mistakes like sending a small bug against a hungry and wild Pidgeotto, or forgetting simple type match-ups, to just being an arrogant idiot. It was both cathartic and humbling in a strange way.

Through these exchanges of stories, they managed to kill several hours and travel several miles. Noctowl decided to fly above the tree line to assess how much further they needed to go to reach the bridge. But when he got over the tree line, he couldn't help but notice something. Something which silently enraged him as he realised the implications of this discovery.

His trainer was beginning to rub off on him.

Descending down below the tree line, the others were waiting patiently for him, with Butterfree somehow bringing forth some berries for them to munch on. As Noctowl landed, they hesitated due to his annoyed look before eventually, Corpish asked the necessary question.

"So… how much further is it?"

Noctowl didn't say anything, simply staring off into the distance with an annoyed grimace. After a moment, he stared Corpish straight in the eye, even as his own twitched, as he mumbled his answer.

"We're heading the wrong way."

All three of the listening Pokémon immediately sagged as they heard this, with Gigalith especially being aggravated.

"What'd you mean we're heading the wrong way? How? We literally only had to follow the path through the forest to the bridge. How have we gone the wrong way?"

Noctowl simply pointed his wing towards them and sighed.

"We went right instead of left. We're walking deeper into the forest."

All of them balked, and Butterfree voiced the biggest concern that Noctowl had from this discovery.

"Good Arceus, we've inherited Ash's sense of direction."

They all shared a look of despair before Corpish muttered a simple, "we're doomed."

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the wood, wearing a large cloak which covered their body completely, drawing their attention completely and putting them all on edge. The cloak itself was worn and weathered and based on the tears and rips that were noticeable for Noctowl, even without his enhanced eyesight, but that wasn't the main thing that Noctowl was focusing on.

It was the fact they were floating.

As someone who used Psychic type moves on a regular basis, Noctowl recognised when someone was floating using Psychic powers quite easily. And that set him on edge immediately. A lone figure, in the woods, ominously floating towards a small group while saying nothing?

Yeah, that's unsettling.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one who thought so, as his companions were also tensing up at the newcomer's presence, either preparing an attack already or, in the case of Gigalith, trying to make themselves look as big as humanly possible.

But the figure seemed unbothered by this, simply continuing to hover closer to the group.

" _How intriguing…"_ a voice rang out, not quite from the one in front of them but rather echoing out all around them, but somehow still originating there. Noctowl in particular recoiled at the psychic voice, as an immense pressure began boring down on Noctowl's mind.

While Noctowl was still reeling from the voice, the figure who it belonged to floated down the few inches between themselves and the ground, and then with a simple hand gesture psychically lowered their hood, revealing a surprisingly familiar figure.

"Mewtwo?" Gigalith asked, allowing his legs to lower himself to his normal height.

The Mewtwo, who looked… much more slender then the figure they had encountered a few hours ago, narrowed their eyes at the small group.

" _How do you know me?"_

* * *

Everything hurt.

That was the first thing on May's mind as she slowly came to, consciousness bleeding back into her as she winced in pain. She tried opening her eyes, but simply got a few new waves of pain throbbing in her head for her efforts.

She could vaguely hear some voices in the background, or at least she thought it was some voices. She couldn't make out any words, just different noises which were being repeated in a back and forth manner, much like a conversation. But trying to focus on the conversation just hurt her head even more.

After lying there for a few moments, May could feel some strength returning to her, as feeling in her arms and legs began to return. Deciding to take this as a sign of healing, she tried opening her eyes again, and this time was greeted by a view of green, yellow, and brown.

"Trees… I see trees." She mumbled, forgetting about the voices for a moment.

However, her mumbling brought the attention of the voices, and now her view of the tree line was being blocked by a lanky red-ish shape.

"Hey there… you. Can you move please? I want to look at the trees." She muttered absently, not really paying attention to what the shape was doing. This seemed to agitate the shape, as it began to be much more active, hovering around her and constantly blocking her vision.

Then another shape came into view, this time with a blue outline to what could have been their head, but May wasn't sure. She didn't really care. However, this shape seemed a lot more subdued and, more interestingly, understandable.

"Hello. Are you ok? Can you tell me your name?" The shape asked, forcing May to focus on them. Now that she was paying attention, she realised that this was a girl who was addressing her, with a blue bowl-cut and an outfit which did not belong to Sinnoh. She was wearing a sleeveless shirt and flip-flops… in Sinnoh. Where the average temperature is minus twelve degrees Celsius.

How was she not freezing?

"May. May Maple." She recited, her vision blurring as she drew her name from her memory. This made the girl smile slightly as she placed her hand on May's head.

"Hello May. I'm Lana. Don't worry, you're perfectly safe," She started, which made may squint. Safe? Why wouldn't she be safe? What had happened? "I'm a friend of Ash's."

That immediately snapped May to attention, causing her to lean up as memories came flooding back. Being at Lake Acuity, something feeling off, and then falling unconscious. Panic began to flood through her, overrunning her throbbing headache and brought everything back into focus.

"Ash?! You know Ash? Why is Ash involved? Why is Ash always involved?" She rambled, forcing Lana to take a step back, and allowing Blaziken, which May suddenly realised was the doting red-ish shape from a few moments ago, to close in and wrap his arms around her, taking the words from her mouth.

In her moment of shock, she noticed the small crowd lingering behind her, consisting of a familiar looking bunch of Pokémon, and a Greninja who, if the other Pokémon belonged to the person she thought they did, probably was part of the same crowd.

There was also another Pokémon which looked like nothing she had ever seen before, which was shocking considering what she had seen in her adventures, and the creature seemed almost… afraid. Afraid of what, she wasn't sure, but she couldn't help but notice that the group of Pokémon were consistently shifting their gaze between looking at her with a relieved joy, and the lone Pokémon with a scornful glare.

May took this all in, and then turned to the girl, Lana she had said her name was, who looked just as lost as she did.

"Can you do me a favour Lana and explain what the hell is going on? Or just fill me in?"

* * *

Lucario didn't know how to feel about this environment. Something about it felt off.

He wasn't sure what it was about the environment that set him off so much, whether it was the fact that there were no discernible landmarks that he recognised, or even see for that matter, or the fact that the entire area gave off a strange vibe for his Aura sense.

He was in a cave of sorts, one with multiple markings on the wall discerning events from times even before him and Sir Aaron, with some of the illustrations representing Legendaries that he was familiar with. There were others which were also consistent across the murals that he didn't recognise, and fortunately, not only did Lucario have companions (a welcome change), he had companions who recognised Legendaries he didn't.

"Oh, oh, that one is Xerneas! I know Xerneas!" Noivern shouted excitedly to Torterra, who nodded slightly to show he was indeed listening.

The group that Lucario had found himself with was an interesting mix, consisting of Pokémon of various types and ages, with the large but childish Noivern (who was barely a year old from what Lucario had been told), the reserved but patient Torterra, the slightly older but still energetic Donphan, and the flirtatious Servine.

But they weren't the only one's present, and it was perhaps these members that brought so much tension to Lucario. There was Ash's friend Mallow, the green haired chef who seemed to be growing in Ash's presence. She didn't bother Lucario directly, if anything, seeing someone else going through changes that made them better people made Lucario happy that not only was Ash still the same person, but that he wasn't the only one affected by it. But rather, her presence meant that he had to keep an eye for her, as she was essentially defenceless. She didn't even have her own Pokémon present, with the one Lucario had vaguely noticed earlier not being here.

'Probably Hoopa's fault.' Lucario thought glumly, as he focused on the other source of tension, and definitely the primary contributor.

The Ultra Beast.

While Lucario had listened to their story of plight and woe, and frankly didn't buy it. They didn't seem to be directly lying, per se, but they seemed to be hiding something. And a lie of omission is still a lie in Lucario's mind. Not only that, but there was something about what they had told Ash that didn't sit right, like some detail didn't fit properly and Lucario couldn't quite figure out what it was.

Not only that, but their aura was definitely sketchy. Aura was Lucario's go-to when trying to judge people, as it allowed him to get a brief summary of who they were. While it wasn't the most accurate way of judging someone, due to the fact that it doesn't provide insight as to why their aura is like it is, it does reveal certain traits. Like if they were malicious, or energetic.

Focusing on the Ultra Beast's aura provided a number of challenges for Lucario, since it seemed that an Ultra Beast gave off a slightly altered aura. This didn't make it impossible for Lucario to read it, but it certainly threw him off somewhat. Not only that, but there seemed to be conflicting traits that the aura he _could_ read gave off.

On the one hand, their aura did give off the impression that they thought of themselves as heroes, and they seemed like they genuinely cared for life; which checked with their story. But on the other hand, they seemed to give off… a relentless energy, and a disregard for morality. So Lucario didn't know what to make of that.

Not only that, but the fact that there was a human currently residing in them, one who was, apparently, a close friend of Ash's. That was a bitter pill to swallow.

So Lucario decided that he was going to keep that at arm's length, far enough that they can't stab him in the back, but close enough to run them through if they tried anything.

War habits ran deep into his outlook.

Overall, this situation wasn't ideal.

He was brought from his reflections by Servine, the small grass type having snuck up to him as he focused on the Ultra Beast.

"Do you recognise this place? You've probably been around more than we have, so you stand a better chance of knowing where we are."

Lucario almost smiled at her, glad that Ash had some logical battlers as well as strong ones. Turning to him was the smart decision, as the venerable war veteran, he was the most likely to be able to fix this situation, or at least react to it accordingly.

But he had to disappoint sometimes.

"Unfortunately, no. I rarely travelled out of Kanto in my youth, and then I had to deal with a war, so I don't recognise this place. And I would try and use my aura, but this place seems to emit its own aura signal, meaning I can't see further than this room with my aura sight. It is both perplexing and frustrating."

Servine's face dropped quickly, before she recovered and covered it up with an annoyed grimace.

"Well then, I guess we just have to find our way out then. Then maybe you can be useful." She sassed, which caused Lucario to smirk.

Suddenly, a ball of energy shot out from behind them, smashing into Torterra and sending him flying into a wall. This sent everyone into a frenzy, making everyone jump into a defensive stance as they spun round.

Standing there were two Pokémon, one being a large Garchomp, who seemed to simply radiate power, and rather surprisingly, a Lucario. The two of them were standing by a section of wall which had opened up to reveal a door and were both primed for a fight.

Which suited them fine.

Noivern opened things up, instantly firing a Boomburst. The wall of sound slammed into the two Pokémon but didn't do much more then slightly pushing them back. The Garchomp responded quickly, and with a sonic boom it launched forward, slamming into Noivern with a Dragon Claw. Before it could follow this up though, an Energy Ball slammed into it, knocking the large Dragon back.

Torterra was back on his feet.

Servine took this as her cue, leaping forward and instantly fired a Leaf Storm to add more pressure. The storm of sharpened and energised leaves peppered Garchomp, with multiple small but powerful explosions ringing out across it's body. Servine then followed it up with an Attract, trying to take the pseudo-legendary out of the fight quickly.

But she had made one error which quickly became apparent when the Garchomp just glared at her.

"Of course she's a girl, we wouldn't be that lucky." Servine muttered, before being hit head on and sent flying.

Before the Garchomp could regain its footing, Donphan jumped in, hitting the Garchomp square in the chest with a Rollout before spinning off and making a circuit of the room to make another run. As he closed the distance for another strike, Torterra fired another Energy Ball to keep Garchomp off balance. The multitude of attacks managed to keep Garchomp off balance, the towering beast letting out a frustrated roar as Donphan landed another Rollout.

Servine had managed to get her feet under her again, noticing that Noivern was also getting back up as she charged up another attack.

Lucario on the other hand, was staring down his adversary with a keen eye, watching intently as the Lucario paced round his position, posture surprisingly lax considering they were going to battle. Lucario refused to bite into his opponent bait, patiently waiting for him to make the first move.

He also made a note of how Mallow and the Nihilego had acted, with Mallow taking shelter behind a column and the Nihilego almost fading away into the shadow.

The other Lucario eventually lost his patience, moving his weight onto his inner-foot and striking out with a kick. But the war veteran could read this move coming from a mile off, simply leaning back to let the strike pass without any incident. Lucario then threw a punch, carefully placed right below the ribs to hit his kidneys, causing the other jackal like Pokémon to crouch over in pain.

Capitalising on this, Lucario charged up an Aura Sphere in his other hand, slamming it into his opponent's chest and firing it point-blank. The focused blast of energy hit square on with a massive shockwave, causing all the air to leave his lungs as he was launched backwards. As he rolled backwards, the Lucario managed to regain its footing and shifting into a defensive stance as he eyed Lucario with an angry glare.

"Now _that_ is an old fighting style. From before the Pokémon league at least. Certainly appropriate given our battlefield."

The two Pokémon instantly stopped, backing off from their fights and going back-to-back as they stared at the various Pokémon present.

Lucario glared at the door where they had entered, and there, standing with the posture of a seasoned battler and guardian, was a blond woman, with long hair which reached down to the small of her back, with a black trench-coat covering her body and making her seem like a special agent for the police.

She walked into the room, hands lazily placed in her pockets as she closed the distance between herself and Lucario.

"My name is Cynthia, and I think there's been a misunderstanding."

* * *

Buzzwole was furious.

His attack strategy had been flawless, with _every_ portal being position in just the right place to ensure that his troops could pour in without resistance. He had brought some of his best warriors, and even still they had been forced to fight with tooth and claw with their target.

It would seem that the stories about the 'Great Defender' had not only been true, but were underselling his abilities. He had held his ground against the ambush and had hit back with enough power to make his head spin. His iconic Master Champion, the small yellow rat known as Pikachu, alone was powerful enough to fight back several of his brother-warriors with ease.

A worrying notion indeed.

And even now, Buzzwole was thinking over what the Defender had said during the lull of battle where both sides had regrouped. About how he seemed to be unaware of why this Crusade was marching and the wrongdoings of his precious Legendaries.

And despite every logical part of his mind telling him that he was lying, there was a small part in his stomach that told him he was being truthful. Despite him having absolutely **no** reason to trust his word, he seemed genuinely perplexed by the idea of there being unresolved grudges. Which brought a startling revelation to the giant bug Ultra Beast.

They hadn't told him. Their greatest champion didn't know why they were fighting. He didn't know about what they had done.

This explained why the resistance fighters had tried to reach him beforehand, to potentially fill his head with lies since the truth had been kept from him. It would explain why he and his followers fought with such fervour, to their eye, they had been attacked without cause or reason.

Which presented a unique opportunity.

Waiting patiently at the edge of one the encampments where his forces had massed, he waited for one of his more energetic, if younger members of the horde.

"Hi Mr Buzzwole. I'm here!"

Supressing any annoyance he felt, he turned to face the one he summoned. Floating just a few feet away from him, with lots of paint blotches covering her body, was a Poipole. She was the child of one of Buzzwole's captains and had taken to painting murals for the horde to entertain himself while his dad worked.

It was pointless but cute.

"Ah, Poipole. Glad you made it. I need to ask a favour from you."

This made Poipole light up, a sparkle appearing in her eyes at the prospect of being given a task to help. But the sparkles quickly faded, and her body deflated somewhat.

"Am I going on another supply run? I don't wanna carry the food anymore. It's so heavy." She moaned, causing Buzzwole to chuckle.

"No little one, this isn't a supply run," he said, causing Poipole to look up at him with a curious glint in her eyes, "instead, I am asking you to go and find the Great Defender and befriend him. I believe he can be swayed to our side, if we show we aren't the bad guys in this situation, hence why I've chosen you."

Her eyes widened, getting to the point where it looked like they were gonna pop from her sockets.

"Really?" She asked with a high-pitched squeal, the glee being almost physically interactable.

"Indeed, but there is one more thing I must ask." I stop for a moment, making sure she is listening intently before carrying on. "You must tell **no-one** of your mission, and you must question him. Find out where he stands and what he knows. I will contact you in a few days."

Poipole nodded at this, before trying to salute but just smacking herself in the face before shaking it off and nodding energetically.

"Yes sir Mr Buzzwole, I'll get on it right away." And with that, she flew off, leaving a trail of paint stains as she went. But Buzzwole couldn't help but shake his head.

"I haven't even told her where he is. She didn't even think to ask. Ah, to be young."

* * *

Talonflame hated the group he got stuck with.

Scratch that, he didn't _hate_ them, they just were the worst people for someone like him to be stuck with. He was practically convulsing on the spot due to his twitches as he watched his teammates slowly make a plan of action.

Stuck in this forest with him was the small fat boy Sophocles, a new friend of Ash's with the most difficult to say name he had ever heard from a human, Ash's newest grass type Rowlet, and the sap-deviant Heracross. Out of the three of them, the only one who didn't drive Talonflame up the wall was Heracross, and that was because he had actually been helpful by identifying the fact that they were in Ilex Forest, in Johto.

Somehow, that has been the high point of their adventure. Which was infuriating.

And now, he had to sit and listen to this kid who wasn't an avid traveller like Ash or any of his previous companions try and plan their way out, because he wanted to do things by the book, even though at this point, the book has been set on fire and thrown off a cliff. Not to mention the fact that Heracross was now just raiding trees for honey and Rowlet was just sleeping, waiting for something to happen.

Talonflame was a fan of inactivity. He could accept it if they were resting, but since they are literally in the middle of a forest half-way across the globe after fighting angry interdimensional creatures who hated Legendaries, they couldn't afford to be inactive.

So Talonflame was somewhat agitated.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake, almost like an Earthquake building up strength and heading towards the group. The trees began to vibrate, causing leaves, twigs and berries to drop as it got stronger, leaving the entire group on edge.

Especially Sophocles, who was half hiding behind a tree and half climbing up it. It was a bizarre sight.

A few seconds later, the tree line split apart, revealing a massive herd of brown hair and horns. The herd then stopped itself, observing the small group before unleashing an excited shout.

"AT LAST! COMPANIONS!"

"THE PLOT THICKENS!"

"WE'RE NOT EVEN HALFWAY THERE YET, AND WE'RE ALREADY GAINING STRENGTH! WOE ONTO OUR FOES!"

Talonflame, as well as the rest of his small group, could just stare as the leader of the Tauros herd approached them.

"Sorry about them, they're excited. We've had a long day. We're making our way to Pallet Town to try and regroup. You wanna come?"

Talonflame couldn't say yes quickly enough.

* * *

Hey everyone, TWoS here, and guess what? I'M ALIVE!

I wanna just take this opportunity to apologise for my extended absence. December was not a good month for me. From problems with work, to a whole ton of coursework, and with Christmas on top of that, I was just overwhelmed. I know that this chapter probably won't make up for the extended absence, but hopefully I'll be more on top of it in the coming year.

Speaking of which, this story has now been going for over a year, which is insane. I can't believe that this story has been going on for so long and that just blows my mind. Also, the story just recently hit one thousand reviews, which is another insane landmark. Like, I write these stories for feedback and to develop my writing style. So to see it become so popular with people and to get so much positive feedback over the last year is frankly incredible. So thank you all for your continuous support and understanding. You have no idea how much it means to me.

I'll try to continue to deliver, thank you for sticking it out, and as always; much love – TWoS.


	24. Chapter 24

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 24**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

After Latias had finished crushing her closest friend with her hug, and after said friend had gone to retrieve the closest thing to a father figure that Latias had, she begun to excitedly recount her recent adventures.

She took the liberty of starting from when Arceus had first summoned her and the other Legendaries, more for the benefit of Lillie, Lapras, and Totodile than for Bianca and Lorenzo. They had both been told what was happening almost instantly.

She struggled to keep things to herself when she was excitedly, a flaw she was willing to admit.

She then recounted her flight to Alola, including her exploration of the local city in her human form before finding Ash and his Pokémon. She was beginning to grow fond of travelling, which was why she had been so ecstatic when she presented Ash with her gift. She then told Bianca and Lorenzo about all the craziness that followed afterwards, including the many Legendaries appearing in Alola to give Ash gifts, her first proper battle, until finally getting to the events which led to her and the others being sent here.

" _So he seems to have sent us five here, and we've not heard anything from anyone else. So it's not looking very good."_ Latias recounted sorrowfully, looking up in the sky nervously as she thought about where everyone was. Despite what people may thought of her, and what Bianca liked to tease her with, Ash wasn't the only one that she cared about. While she never met many of Ash's Pokémon when he first arrived in her life, she did form a bond with the ones she did. She enjoyed playing with Pikachu in the garden and helping Totodile almost win the _Tour de Alto Mare._ And even over the past few days in Alola, she had found many new friends as a part of Ash's extended family. And to top it all off, Latios had been revived.

'Wait…' Latias thought to herself, the thought of realisation being so loud and sudden that it bled into her facial expression, and was even audible to Mewtwo, who had begun meditating silently by the pond in the centre of the garden, enjoying the serenity.

And who was now chuckling to himself over Latias' sudden revelation.

" _LATIOS IS ALIVE!"_ She exclaimed, startling everyone present. But this slight surprise wasn't enough to stop the shock which bled into the features of the two Alto Mare natives.

"Latios? He's… he's alive?" Bianca asked hoarsely, her eyes now prickled with tears as her voice got caught in throat. Lorenzo was equally shocked, left just standing there was a gaping mouth as he tried and failed to form words. Fortunately, Bianca had more than a few to spare once she recovered.

"How is he alive?! I thought he was stuck in the Soul Dew! And the Soul Dew! What's going to happen to that? Are the waters going to recede? Are you going to become the next Soul Dew?"

The bombardment of questions was too much for Latias, who looked overwhelmed as Bianca began to get up and close the distance between them, with no idea how to respond.

Fortunately, she had help.

" _I feel I may be better suited for answering those questions, since I'm more aware of the_ precise _details behind these events after interacting with Arceus and can better convey them for your convenience."_ Mewtwo interjected, uncrossing his legs from his lotus position as he floated down to the ground.

With everyone's attention now on him, he cleared his throat (rather unnecessarily since he wasn't actually using his throat muscles, but the motion was great for preparing oneself for a long explanation) and began to explain.

" _Latios was indeed resurrected, an act which not done lightly, not by any measure. He, along with a venerable war veteran from a bygone age, were resurrected by the Master of Death and the Destruction Pokémon Yveltal. Their souls, as part of the process, have been bound to Ash via a Soul Anchor."_

Lapras took this opportunity to speak up, raising a flipper like he was a student in class.

"Sorry to interrupt, but that was never fully explained. What exactly _did_ Yveltal do to resurrect Lucario and Latios? I heard someone say something about an anchor at the time, and Azelf saying she would explain it, but then those Nihilego showed up and we never got that explanation."

Mewtwo looked at Lapras curiously, while the humans looked blankly having not understood him, he tilted his head as he stroked his chin.

" _Most curious, I would have assumed that she'd off gotten around to that by now. But I suppose it has been a busy weekend I suppose."_ Mewtwo murmured, before shaking his head and carrying on with his story and explanation.

" _A Soul Anchor, in essence, is the only way to resurrect a passed soul without it being turned into something else. While it isn't that uncommon for a soul to come back to this world after it has passed, it usually undergoes some form of metamorphosis as a result of this journey. This is where a lot of the stories and rumours surrounding Ghost types come from. They were souls who returned but became something else entirely._

Mewtwo stopped momentarily, silently observing the reactions of his listeners. Rather surprisingly, they were all looking at him blankly, not from a lack of understanding, but intrigue. Which, when Mewtwo thought about it, made sense. They were all friends with Ash Ketchum and regularly interacted with Legendaries. This wasn't the strangest thing to have happen to them but might be the most they've had explained to them.

Mewtwo decided to take this silent intrigue as a nod to carry on with his explanation.

" _This means that souls can't make the transition into our world unscathed… on their own. But with something to act as a guide or a source for them to focus in on, this same transition becomes much less hazardous. Hence, a Soul Anchor can allow them to return to our word, such as they have."_

"But there's more to it, right?"

Mewtwo glanced over to the speaking voice, who turned out to be the Alolan native Lillie, who had spoken out. With everyone now looking at her, she began to cower into herself nervously.

"I mean, when those anchors appeared on Ash, he seemed to have been hurt. And he had those marks on his chest as well. If it was that simple, why did it do that?"

Mewtwo smiled to himself as the young girl thought aloud, happy to see that one of Ash's companions was being observant. Arceus knows that Ash wasn't the most observant person, he needed someone to help him out there. Badly.

Unperturbed by this, Mewtwo simply carried on and began answering her questions.

" _That, I'm afraid, is because nothing is ever that simple. An anchor may remove the hazards for the_ soul _, it still isn't an easy process. Which is why Arceus had Yveltal himself oversee this process._

" _A Soul Anchor is dangerous because it works similarly to an actual anchor. While they may be in our world again, their souls could be pulled back into the other world if there isn't anything holding them here. Something which the anchor prevents. And for that to work, it needs to have both a physical and metaphysical presence. Which is why it not only has left a mark on Ash's body, but why he was in pain. He was experiencing the anchor being forged directly onto his own body and soul. Something which I imagine is excruciating."_

The others winced at this, with Lillie even turning green at the idea. Having some mystical anchor seared into their being and soul? That sounded excruciating. After taking a few breaths to allow the feeling of nausea to pass, Lillie was left with another question.

"Then how did Ash brush it off like that? He was in pain one moment and the next he was hugging Lucario, like it never happened."

" _That, I can't explain. If I had to guess, it's because Ash has been electrocuted for around five years as a bare minimum in his adventures. His nerves are probably fried,"_ Mewtwo explained, before musing outwardly, _"though he has died a few times before so maybe he's just used to dealing with it."_

"But what about the Soul Dew? If Latios' soul has been pulled from that, why aren't we currently underwater, or waiting for a tidal wave to show up? It's not as if that isn't a problem, otherwise why it would have happened last time?" Lorenzo piped up, scratching his beard as he questioned Mewtwo.

" _That would be because of Arceus. She took a special interest in fixing this problem."_ Mewtwo said, before gesturing over to the alter where the Soul Dew was being kept, _"When she summoned me, she was in the midst of sorting this issue out. She seemed… fixated, for lack of a better word, on ensuring that both Lucario_ _ **and**_ _Latios were brought back. So she went out of her way to infuse a fraction of her power, along with the balanced influence of the Lake Guardians and the Aura Trio, to create a replicant soul to replace him."_

Lorenzo nodded at this, leaning into his hand as he digested this. Bianca's reaction was not so calm however.

"So what? Arceus is perfectly fine with Latios' very **soul** being trapped until it INCONVENIENCES HER!?" She yelled, causing Latias to jump up from her position behind her. Bianca began to walk angrily toward Mewtwo, who starred levelly at her as she clenched her fists during her march.

"She left him in there for **YEARS!** And now that she has a use for him, she makes an effort to help? To fix a problem that might be her fault in the first place? What kind of God is that?" She yelled angrily, as she got right up into Mewtwo's face. He didn't respond at first, but everyone else stood on edge. The Pokémon were priming to attack in case Mewtwo lashed out, and Lorenzo was standing there in silent shock and confusion. Mewtwo then raised his hand, and gently placed it on her shoulder.

" _A God who should not be worshipped."_

Everyone collectively gaped at this, looking to each other as they slowly looked to each other for an answer but instead were just left watching the exchange between the equally surprised and confused Bianca and the stone faced Mewtwo.

" _I don't hold any love for her, and I'm sure we're not the only ones. I don't know nearly as much as I'd like, and I'm painfully aware of the incredulous deceit surrounding her at the moment. But while she is not a neutral party, she seems to be benevolent enough. For now, we must simply take solace in the fact that Latios has been resurrected as a result of her personal desires, and not give her reason to refute this fact."_

Bianca nodded wearily, running away the tears that had formed in the corners of her eyes, while Mewtwo addressed the others.

" _For now, we have a bigger problem to address and deal with; what to do next."_

* * *

"It's official, we're still in Alola everyone." Torracat announced from the back of Lugia as she flew down to the waiting group.

When he and his group had recovered from their portal trip, they had spent the better part of a few hours just recovering. While they hadn't been the most injured amongst Ash's Pokémon, they had taken their fair share of damage in the battle. Garchomp had scratches all over his body, Glalie had suffered from many burn marks which stood out on his icy skin, Swellow was missing several feathers from his wings, and Squirtle was _still_ breathing heavily after a few hours of rest. Torracat himself was still suffering from a sore leg, something that his recent evolution had helped to heal but hadn't completely finished.

Lugia had also been hurt but had bounced back much quicker than the rest of them. Which was why she was more than willing to give Torracat a lift while she flew a quick loop in the general area to try and determine where they were.

'One of the perks of being a Legendary I guess.' Torracat mused as he gingerly hopped off her back.

"If you say so, you're the native after all. You wouldn't happen to know _where_ in Alola we are, would you?" Squirtle asked, breathing heavily again once he finished his sentence.

"From what I can see, I think we're on Akala Island. I can see Melemele Island easily enough, so that narrows it down to Akala or Poni Island, and the distinct lack of mountains rule out Poni Island. Could be wrong, but I'd be pretty surprised if we turn a corner and discover a canyon."

Content, Squirtle leaned back and began focusing on his breathing again. Everyone else just took this new information into consideration while Lugia began to nuzzle Torracat, who simply sighed and let the hyperactive and affectionate Legendary wrap him up in her wings. Swellow, despite being as injured as everyone else, began to pick himself up.

"Right then, I guess this is our plan. We have a bit more recovery time, then we head out to the nearest town. We either barter, or steal, our way into getting some supplies. Once we've done that, we can then try and get back to Melemele, see if any of the others are there. Any objections?"

Everyone gave a tired and weary noise of agreement, with Garchomp murmuring something along the lines of "I'd kill for a hot shower". Everyone began to settle in for a bit more recovery time, eager to try their best to get back into fighting shape.

And that was when they heard the rustles.

It started quiet at first, barely loud enough for the source to be more than a rodent Pokémon, like a native Rattata or Pikachu being too curious for their own good. But then it started to get louder and was now accompanied by the distinct sound of humans.

And not the kind of humans that might have helped.

Everyone tried to spring into action, with their movements being hindered somewhat by their various injuries, to get ready for a fight. But it took the very action of getting ready for a fight for them all to realise one crucial thing: they _weren't_ ready for another fight. Torracat was the first to notice this as the pain in his leg shot through his body and decided to take action.

"Everyone into the bushes! Now!" He hissed, before leaping into a nearby ditch which was covered with bushes. Everyone quickly followed suit, diving out of sight just as the rustling increased, and halted with the arrival of two people.

These two people were dressed incredibly strangely, and this was in the opinion of Pokémon who regularly interacted with Team Rocket. They were wearing pure white clothing, looking like a modified lab coat turned into a poor attempt of outdooring clothing with green buttons holding the ensemble together. And most worryingly, the two were wearing helmets which fully covered their heads, with filtered lenses masking their faces and built in gas masks.

Altogether, they didn't look very friendly. And their demeanour seemed to match as they walked into the opening where they had just been resting, holding strange devices which beeped furiously as they waved it about.

"Devices are picking up signs of spatial disturbance here, but the readings seem different than what we've encountered previously. Different energies seem to be present here. Hypothesis: this is not the direct work of an Ultra Beast, but some other Pokémon capable of spatial travel." The first human reported, seemingly speaking aloud as their colleague walked to a different section of the opening.

"Presence of other Legendaries being present in Alola support this Hypothesis. Potentially worth looking into which ones might have been capable of such a feat. Regardless, retrieval of whatever matter has travelled through the spatial disturbance is paramount." The second human responded, waving their device over the spot where Squirtle had been laying just moments ago.

They continued doing this for several minutes, with all of Ash's Pokémon collectively holding their breath in their attempt to try and remain undetected. Swellow and Garchomp, the two most capable of fighting in their group apart from Lugia, were both tensing up incredibly, muscles primed to launch an attack at the first sign of being discovered. Lugia was also being weary, beginning to shield Torracat with her wings more and more while gathering air in her lungs for an Aeroblast.

But after ten minutes of nerve-wracking observation, the two humans seemed to stop, turning their equipment off and pocketing them while conversing with one another.

"No signs of any Pokémon being present, scanners couldn't pick up any abnormal energy fields having left the area. Two potential theories as to why. One, the spatial disturbance didn't transfer any physical matter through this end. Two, this spatial disturbance does not leave any residual energies on matter which travels through it, making tracking said matter near impossible."

"Confirmed, readings have been documented and all samples have been collected. Main priority now is to return back to Aether Paradise and compare findings to other teams. Recommendation of increasing search for spatial disturbances outside of Alola. Potential for these to have occurred in other regions."

Once they finished babbling to themselves, they began to walk off the same way they came, not noticing the half dozen Pokémon now gingerly stepping out of the shrubbery.

Not wanting to press their luck, they didn't say anything, but they didn't need to. As they looked to one another, they saw the same look of concern and conviction in their eyes. These people had come to where they had been directly teleported with the intent of capturing them. They needed to know why.

So they began following them.

It took a dedicated effort from all of them, especially with their injuries impeding their movements, but they managed to stalk the two humans, following them to the coast where a boat was waiting for them. They watch silently from the treeline as the pair started up the boat's engine, before huddling up amongst themselves.

"Anyone know who these guys are?" Glalie asked, eyes lingering on Torracat, who nodded firmly.

"They're dressed like Aether Foundation people. They normally rescue Pokémon, but they didn't wear gear like that. And they certainly didn't investigate portals. Something is wrong with this picture, and I don't like it."

Everyone nodded at this; they had all dealt with criminal organisations enough to recognise shifty motives disguised by a well-meaning cover. And this just screamed of 'hidden motive'.

"I don't like the fact that they seem to be able to track portals, especially since they don't know it was Hoopa's. That means they already had this technology beforehand and had simply picked up Hoopa's portals or mistook them for something else. Either way, that spells trouble to me." Squirtle said, eyes constantly darting from the group meeting to the pair of Aether Foundation employees and back.

Swellow took this opportunity to take charge, again.

"Clearly they know something, otherwise they wouldn't be here. And they seemed to have expected **something** to have come through, which could be either someone we know, or something else entirely. So, my idea, we follow them and see what they're hiding. I'll take Squirtle, Garchomp can take Glalie, and Lugia can take Torracat. We go to wherever they're based, find out what they know, and, if necessary, perform a rescue mission. Everyone game?"

Despite their various injuries, everyone agreed without hesitation. If these guys had one of their family members captured, then they were going to rescue them. Even if they had to tear apart the entire place themselves to do it. Injuries be damned.

So, as the Aether Foundation boat set off, the six Pokémon took to the sky, hovering high enough to not be easily spotted by the Aether Foundation employees but close enough to see where they were going.

They were going to pay Aether Paradise a visit.

* * *

"Larvitar!" Ash yelled excitedly, as the small but heavy Rock type lept down from the edge he had been perched on, landing excitedly into Ash's arms.

"It's so good to see you again!" Ash yelled, spinning around with Larvitar in his arms while the rest of his Pokémon watched warmly. Anabel however, simply watched in shock.

"How are you carrying him?" She asked aloud, looking seemingly shocked when she realised she had said that loud enough for Ash to hear. Ash stopped spinning round to look at her with a confused glance.

"What do you mean? He's not that big."

"Well, yes, but, Larvitar's can average at a weight of around seventy kilos. Even if that Larvitar is lighter than average, chances are he weighs more than you do Ash. Yet you're carrying him as if he weighs just a bit more than Pikachu."

This caused Ash to look down at Larvitar curiously, before holding his arms out with Larvitar in them and waving them around experimentally, before pulling his arms back in.

"Honestly, I thought he _did_ weigh about the same of Pikachu. That's weird." He shrugged, before looking at Larvitar.

"Anyway, Larvitar, these are my friends. You remember Quilava, right? She was a Cyndaquil last time we met and has evolved." Ash started, with Larvitar smiling happily and giving a wave which Quilava returned. "Then there's Goodra, and Latios, and an egg. We don't know what kind of Pokémon is in there yet, but we're excited to meet them." Larvitar didn't respond as animatedly this time, his wave being more reserved as he hid under Ash's arm a little bit.

Finally, he turned towards Anabel, and before Ash could even begin to introduce her, Larvitar fully tried to hide behind Ash, causing him to laugh.

"Guess you're still nervous around people then? That's alright, I get nervous when meeting new people sometimes as well. But she's a friend, called Anabel. You can trust her. I do."

This reassurance seemed to work somewhat, as Larvitar managed to pop his head out to look at Anabel, who was watching Ash interact with the young Rock type with a warm feeling settling into her chest.

'He's so good with Pokémon, it's no wonder he's such a good trainer. And it's so cute watching him be parental as well.' Anabel mentally thought, before a roar broke her concentration. Standing just above where Larvitar had been, was the largest Tyranitar she had ever seen. It stood towering above them and looked ready to crush them all.

She was getting ready again to call on one of her Pokémon when Ash interrupted the action again to wave at the Tyranitar.

"Hey Tyranitar! How you doing? Have you and Larvitar been having fun?" He yelled, which caused the Tyranitar to nod, a sentimental rumbling coming from deep within its chest. While the look didn't abate, she certainly seemed to be friendly with Ash.

Maybe Tyranitar's just naturally looked like they wanted to kill you.

But before they could share anymore warm interactions, a dozen trucks pulled up to their location. Each truck was filled with aggressive looking people, all armed with harpoons and net guns as they pooled out of the trucks and ran towards Ash and the Tyranitar.

Recognising the classic look of a poacher, Ash sprang into action, running out in front of the towering Pokémon. His Pokémon, also used to such interactions, darted to stand beside him and prepared for a fight, with only Anabel lingering back after Latios quickly handed her the egg before rushing to Ash's side. Much to the poacher's annoyance as the lead one emphasised.

"Oi kid, get out the way. We've been chasing this Tyranitar and her child for months now. Either move out the way or prepare for a beating!"

But Ash didn't budge, instead gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.

"If you want to get these Pokémon, you're gonna have to go through me."

This enticed a laugh from the many men that had pooled out of the trucks, with well over three dozen of them forming up in front of them.

"Oh yeah? You and what army?"

Before Ash could respond, the ground under their feet began to shake. Small pebbles began to bounce, and a thundering sound began to build up. Everyone collectively turned to the road which the poachers had driven down, only to spot a large dust cloud getting closer and closer. And as it did, shapes began to take shape, with large circular shapes being prevalent in the dust, with pointed horn like objects occasionally being visible.

"NO ONE EXPECTS THE TAUROS INQUISITION!"

The cloud dispersed to show several Tauros, who quickly surrounded the large group of poachers. After quickly cutting off their escape, more Pokémon appeared from the backs of some of the Tauros, revealing Talonflame, Heracross, Rowlet, and a really ragged looking Sophocles who all seemed ready to fight.

Ash simply smiled, patting the nearest Tauros affectionately as he walked through them to address the lead poacher.

"Does this count?"

* * *

Hey guys, TWoS here, with another chapter for you.

Sorry for taking so long with this one, while this hasn't been the longest gap between uploads, I haven't been able to work on this story as much as I'd like. I'm currently very busy with planning and preparing my testing for my dissertation, along with my other modules for university and my job. Overall, I don't have nearly as much time as I'd like.

Regardless, I'm quite happy with this chapter. While there's only three segments here, I feel like they're very important segments, and ones I'm very pleased with now that I've finished writing them. And I've noticed something quite pleasing after combing through my notes and the previous chapters. Nearly all the groups consisting of existing characters that Hoopa teleported have been introduced. In fact, there's only three groups left. With that revelation, things are going to start coming together more, which is something I hope you're looking forward to.

Regardless, I want to thank you all again for your support. It's insane how popular this story is, and the continuous feedback is fantastic. I always love interacting with you guys, and I try to respond to every review, so please leave them if you have the time. Regardless, thank you, and I hope I can continue to please.

Until the next chapter, have a great day and much love – TWoS.


	25. Chapter 25

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 25**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

"You can't keep us in here forever! We're gonna get outta here, I promise you that!" Pignite yelled while gripping the bars on his cage tightly, shaking his body back and forth while yelling his protests.

After Hoopa had teleported them, he and the others who had landed with him had woken up to find themselves on Poni Island, on the edge of the Poni Wilds. They had spent some time trying to recuperate from the recent battle and to try and make a plan as to what to do, but it wasn't long before things went really bad.

About two hours after landing there, and trying to recover from their injuries, a pair of individuals had arrived at their site, and proceeded to blindside them. While Pignite and the other Pokémon he was with were all competent battlers, they weren't ready for the ambush, and found themselves quickly overwhelmed and knocked out. When they next awoke, they had been placed in cages in one of the cleanest facilities Pignite had ever seen.

Looking around the room he was in, Pignite could see his companions in their own cages, with each one being tailored to restrain them, with Pignite's own cage being fireproof. Opposite his cage on the other side of the room was Hawlucha, who was wrapped up in what looked like a modified straight jacket and was glaring off at nothing. Probably frustrated with how restricted his movement was.

On his right, was Seismitoad, contained in a massive cage which was heavily reinforced, with multiple parts of the cage being inlayed directed into the room around them, and with every bar being thicker than Pignite's, admittedly thick, arms, meaning that any attempts to break through it with force would be futile. Seismitoad was simply sitting there silently, also looking around the room like Pignite.

On the right of Hawlucha, opposite Seismitoad, was the one human in their group, the one called Kiawe. The native had been caught by surprise as well after falling through the portal and had taken responsibility for helping the Pokémon to recover, tending to their injuries as best he could. Pignite himself was currently wearing some bandages on his arm that Kiawe had wrapped for them. He had tried putting up a fight with his Pokémon but had been knocked out with an anaesthesia dart before he could call anyone out. Now, he was shouting threats at the Aether Foundation employees, all focused on what he'd do to them if they didn't return his Pokémon.

And finally, opposite the door entering the room, and to the left of Pignite, stood, what he imagined, was the reason why they were all caught: one of the Nihilego.

It was current suspended in a massive tube, with multiple wires and cables suspending it in place. The tube was filled with some kind of see-through gel, which bubbled relentless in response to every twitch that it made. And within the Nihilego, plain to see for both the employees and the ones trapped in this room, was its human captive.

Pignite recognised her, it was Dawn, Ash's friend from Sinnoh. He remembered her from when they met up in Unova. He quite liked Dawn and could easily see why she was a good friend of Ash's. And it absolutely infuriated him how she was being used like, like some kind of puppet by these strange Pokémon. While he had heard their excuse for why they did it, and understood it, kind of, it didn't excuse what they had done to someone he cared deeply about and called a friend.

And now, because of the actions of this creature, she was now stuck in a tube and was most likely going to be experimented on. This made Pignite furious, and he could feel the fires within his soul burn hotter the more he thought on it. The last time he had felt like that, it was when he was fighting his previous trainer's Emboar and Heatmor alongside Snivy. He had been **furious** when they had knocked her out, and that had partially triggered his evolution.

Now here he was, with a similar fire burning in his soul, yet he was unable to do anything to help his friends. Which only made it worse. He had tried melting the cage bars with his fire attacks, and when that didn't work, he simply tried smashing it with Brick Break. Neither had worked. Which meant that all he could do now, just like the others, was sit, wait, and hope.

Suddenly, the door whooshed open, as an Aether Foundation employee walked in. For the brief moment that the door was open, Pignite spotted what looked like a guard, with a large Arcanine sitting dutifully by his side. The door then suddenly shut again, leaving them completely alone with the employee who had walked in.

In their hand was a notepad, and as they walked over to a computer which was attached to Nihilego's tube, they jotted down some numbers that Pignite couldn't make sense of. Kiawe, still as fired up as earlier, took this chance to start up his threats again.

"Oi! Where are my Pokémon? I swear, if you've hurt them, you better hope I don't get my hands on you cos otherwise I'll throw you into Wela Volcano myself!"

The scientist simply ignored him, continuing to jot down numbers dutifully. He then pulled out what seemed to be some form of tape recorder and started talking to himself.

"Life signs for the Ultra Beast dubbed 'Symbiont' have remained constant since being placed under. The life signs of the human that the Ultra Beast has bonded with have also remained constant, showing that this could be a beneficial, or at the very least neutral, symbiotic relationship. Once President Lusamine gives the go ahead, it would be beneficial to test this relationship, and to see _why_ such a bonding had occurred. Orders for now are to continue monitoring until all search teams have returned."

Once he had finished speaking, the scientist hooked the recorder to his belt, and proceeded to input a bunch of numbers into the computer which was connected to the tube that Nihilego was in. Once that was done, the scientist began to walk towards the exit, stopping only to face Kiawe menacingly.

"If you're lucky, your Pokémon may have some use to us and be permitted to live here in Aether Paradise. Something that I can say with certainty won't happen to you. I hope you remember the sun well, because chances are, you're never going to see it again with your own eyes."

Kiawe just stood there, his anger temporarily quelled as he looked at the scientist in horror, his mouth and eyes both equally wide.

Content with this, the scientist pressed a button on his wrist which made the door open and proceeded to stroll towards it. But as he closed the distance between Kiawe's cage and the door, Pignite couldn't help but notice something odd.

The guard wasn't there anymore.

Before he could dwell on that any longer, the scientist stepped outside the lab room. And was subsequently hit in the head with a metal box which had been thrown at him. Which knocked him unconscious before he even hit the floor. As his body slumped onto the floor, it was suddenly pulled out of sight, leaving everyone to stare at the door in surprise.

A few seconds passed but felt like hours to the confused and worried prisoners, before a very familiar blue head popped around the corner.

"Squirtle?"

There, wearing his **ridiculous** glasses that he insisted on wearing whenever he got serious, was Squirtle, one of the original six Pokémon in Ash's team, and the resident trouble maker. Leaning around the corner, he quickly observed the room, before his eyes lit up as he locked eyes with Pignite and the others.

He proceeded to action roll into the room, before pressing himself against the wall tightly, looking back and forth seriously. Pignite couldn't help but facepalm as he watched, especially as Squirtle had begun to hum as he inched deeper into the room.

"Dundedun dun dun dun dundedun dun dun dun dundedun dun dun dun dundedun dun dun dun deDON Do do do."

Once he got deep enough into the room, he then turned to face the door and fired a single, large bubble out of the door, which popped on the wall opposite the door. Which then triggered an even stranger sight.

Garchomp leaning around the corner.

Lumbering into the room as best he could, Garchomp tried to push his way into the small door frame, which only came up to his chest. Despite getting stuck for a moment, he managed to slip through the door. And then proceeded to fall onto the floor with a sounding crash, which caused Squirtle to shake his head in frustration. As quickly as he could, Garchomp managed to get back on his feet, holding both his hands out to try and pretend that nothing had ever happened.

"Dammit Garchomp, we're meant to be _stealthy_ right now, remember? That means quiet."

Garchomp hung his head limply, before Squirtle patted his knee sympathetically.

"But don't worry about it. I think we've knocked everyone out who might have heard it. Let's just focus on getting these guys out."

Boyed by this, Garchomp nodded enthusiastically, before proceeding to slash at the lock for Seismitoad's cage. Cut clean in half, the lock dropped off unceremoniously, and the heavy door slowly swung open, allowing Seismitoad to be free.

Squirtle had made his way to Pignite's cage and Pignite took this chance to try and catch up.

"Fancy seeing you here, I didn't know you worked here."

"Oh yeah, I'm working part time. Security, if you would believe it. Arceus knows they could do with better guards." Squirtle responded without missing a beat, before headbutting Pignite's lock and granting him freedom.

"But on a serious note, how did you know we were here? And for that matter, how did you even get in here?"

"Well funnily enough, these same guys came after us. Somehow managed to track the portal we fell through and were looking for us. We managed to hide but then figured that they might have managed to catch some of us unaware, so decided to follow them. Good thing we did, otherwise you'd be getting _real_ aquatinted with this room. That's for sure."

By this point, Garchomp had managed to open the other cages, and was in the middle of helping Hawlucha out of his straight jacket, while everyone else was starring at the tube with the Nihilego in it.

"So what are we doing about them?" Seismitoad asked, tapping on the glass gently. Everyone else gathered around the tube, all thinking the same thing that Seismitoad had asked. They couldn't exactly leave them here, especially not with one of Ash's close friends still stuck in it. So they were stuck in a strange predicament.

But Pignite was not listening to the discussion being had. He was focused entirely on the tube that contained Dawn. He was still furious with these Ultra Beasts, and he had enough. First, one shows up and tries to kill Ash, with Garchomp being the only thing that successfully stopped them. _Then_ , they show up out of nowhere with three of Ash's close friends trapped inside them. And after _that_ , more show up as part of AN ARMY, and then proceed to go after each and every one of them.

And Pignite had had enough.

Not bothering to wait for everyone else to come to a conclusion, Pignite simply raised his fist, and plunged it straight through the glass tube. He will not stand by and do nothing while Ash's friends suffered. He will **not ALLOW IT!**

With the fire within him burning brighter than it ever had before, Pignite reached deeper into the tube, and ripped the Nihilego clean out of the tube, letting the body drop onto the floor.

The Nihilego convulsed for a moment, causing all the cables to come loose and spring back towards the tube. The Nihilego started to shriek for a moment, and, in a rather surprising development, spat out Dawn. As soon as it did this, a vortex of energy appeared out of nowhere, which the Nihilego slipped into quickly. With the Nihilego gone, the vortex closed in on itself, disappearing as quickly as it appeared.

"Well, that was… interesting," Hawlucha muttered, as he looked at the gel and goo covered Dawn. "Also, congratulations on the evolution. Didn't see that coming either."

'Evolution?' Pignite thought, before looking at his arms. His… much… larger arms.

Looking down at his body, Pignite realised that Hawlucha was right; he HAD evolved. His body was much larger and stronger, and he was now closer to the size of Seismitoad and Garchomp than he was the others. Pignite, no… Emboar, couldn't help but smile at this.

This was going to come in useful.

As Kiawe was tending to Dawn, Emboar noticed there were now more Pokémon outside the door, all of whom he, thankfully, recognised.

"Alright Squirtle, we hid the bodies. But we're starting to run out of boxes to hide them in. We've nearly twenty already." Swellow reported as he walked into the room, followed shortly by Torracat, Lugia, and Glalie. They stopped briefly to look at Emboar, before getting a mutter of congratulations or responses of "nice".

Torracat wandered over to Kiawe, tapping his leg with a paw, bringing his attention to him, and the belt with Pokéballs on it.

"My Pokémon! Thanks Torracat." Kiawe thanked, quickly putting it on before carrying on with his tending to Dawn. Squirtle took this opportunity to speak up.

"Right, now that we're all here, let's make a plan. After finding you guys, it proves what we were worried about: these guys are up to no good. From what we could tell from exploring this place, you're the only ones they've caught," Squirtle informed, with everyone sighing in relief at this. "However, we're not leaving yet. They clearly knew about Ultra Beasts and were able to track us. There's no way they came up with this recently, so they're doing something related to Ultra Beasts. And maybe, if we're lucky, they might know something about Ultra Beasts."

"So what, we continue sneaking through this place until we find something? What do we do after?" Seismitoad asked.

"We take what we know, steal a boat, and get out of here. We can head to Melemele Island and try to find the others. It's the best plan we've got." Squirtle responded, causing Seismitoad to shrug.

Emboar looked at the door which led to the rest of the Aether Foundation facility they were trapped in. They were gonna have to explore this place _entirely_ to try and see what they knew, and then try to escape. All without getting caught, or by fighting their way through the facility.

"Sure, why not?" Emboar said out loud. They had work to do.

* * *

As the poachers were rounded up by the local rangers, Ash and Anabel took this chance to get his Pokédex fixed, the rangers more than happy to help out an old friend and a Frontier Brain. With their Pokédexes fixed, they asked to borrow a phone, and Ash called the first person he could think of.

His mother.

After a few rings, the phone picked up and Ash's mother came into view.

"Ash? Is that you? Oh, I'm so glad to hear from you baby, are you alright?"

"I'm fine Mum, but I wanted to check in on you. Things have been weird for me this weekend, so I wanted to make sure that you were ok." Ash admitted, causing Anabel to smile at him warmly.

"Oh, I'm aware sweetie. Afterall, it's the only way to explain why some of your Pokémon randomly showed up at my home and why I'm currently baking a cake for a very cute Mew."

Ash stared at the screen for a moment and, now that he was looking at it, he could see some of his Pokémon in the background, namely his Leavanny, who was currently holding his Scraggy in her arms, as well as Professor Oak and Professor Kukui talking to one another over a cup of tea.

But Ash couldn't help but notice something a bit odd about how his childhood home looked in the background.

"Mum… are you holding a party?" Ash asked sceptically, which caused Delia to light up.

"Oh yes, I'm holding a baby shower. Your Meganium's egg, congratulations on her evolving by the way, hatched shortly after she arrived here. So now we're holding a party. Where are you, if you're close enough, you can pop in for some cake!"

Ash thought about this, before flipping open his Pokédex. On it, a map came up and, rather surprisingly, he wasn't that far from Pallet Town. If he had some form of transport, he could get there in an hour or two.

And fortunately, some familiar and very willing friends just showed up who could make that journey. In fact, they looked raring to go, with one of them now wearing a pointed red hat and saying things in a Spanish accent to the amusement of the other Tauros.

Also, where did he find that red hat?

Ignoring it, he began to walk over to his Tauros herd, and the other Pokémon who were chatting amiably with Sophocles resting up against a tree. But before he got there, a giant tail snaked its way in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

Looking up at the tail's source, Ash saw Tyranitar, who was looking at him strangely.

"Hey Tyranitar, what's up?" Ash asked gingerly, curious as to why Tyranitar stopped him. In response, Tyranitar simply bent down and poked Ash's belt a few times. She then looked over at Larvitar, who had been surprisingly social and was enjoying some interactions with Ash's other Pokémon, and then back at Ash. Which caused his eyes to widen as he realised what she was saying.

"You want me to catch Larvitar?" He asked quietly, which Tyranitar nodded to in respond. She then pointed at some of Ash's Pokémon, focusing first on Goodra and Latios before gesturing over at the rest of Ash's Pokémon. She then thumped her chest a few times and pointed back at Ash. It took Ash a bit longer to figure out what she meant by this, but then he figured it out.

"You want me to make him strong like you and my other Pokémon?"

Tyranitar nodded again, bending down to place a hand gently on his shoulder and smiling, or smiling as best as a Tyranitar could. Ash looked her in the eye for a moment, before nodding.

"I promise, I'll make him strong, and do you proud."

This pleased Tyranitar, who leant back up to stand. Ash then remembered something he had, somehow, managed to forget.

"Oh yeah, you know I can understand Pokémon, right?"

Tyranitar blinked a few times, before sighing to herself.

"Are you being serious? I wasted my time with charades when I could have just said it. Unbelievable."

And with that, she walked off, heading back up towards Mount Silver.

Anabel took this moment to speak up.

"You forgot you could speak to Pokémon, didn't you?" She asked with a grin on her face. Ash could only blush in response.

With that done, he walked over to his Pokémon, and knelt down to Larvitar, who was looking up at him with excited eyes.

"I guess you've already had a chat with your Mum about what I'm about to ask, right?" Ash questioned, with Larvitar nodding enthusiastically. Ash just chuckled and pulled out a Pokéball from his belt.

"Well, if you're interested, the choice is yours."

Without hesitation, Larvitar headbutted the ball, allowing it to pull himself in without a fight. A few seconds later, the ball dinged to signify that it had caught Larvitar.

Tired from the day, Ash just brought the ball close to his mouth and whispered, "Welcome to the team."

With that done, he turned to the gathered Pokémon and Anabel and began to shout, "So! Who wants to go home?"

* * *

Guess who? Bet you weren't expecting this!

But yeah, I couldn't help myself. I got really excited with the idea I had for the Aether Foundation, and couldn't help but start writing the prison scene, purely for the Squirtle moment where he knocks the guy out and starts sneaking about. And then, I couldn't help myself. Now, I know this chapter isn't as long as usual, but to be fair, I did write it in a day, only a few days after my last one. So, small victories I guess.

We're now another group down, and there's only two groups left to introduce. And now more groups are teaming up. This means that things are progressing quite nicely. I hope you enjoy this quick chapter, cos it was quite fun to write.

But as a heads up, this may be the last chapter for a fair while. I'm gonna be quite busy for a bit, so I hope this is enough to keep you guys happy. Thanks for the continuous support and reviews, and I hope you keep leaving me messages and reviews because I **love** reading them. Keep being great and thank you for everything.

Until next time, enjoy this chapter and much love as always – TWoS.


	26. Chapter 26

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 26**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Streamers, banners, balloons, presents, and plates were strewn about the living room of the Ketchum residence, the aftermath of a rather upbeat party occurring in the same space. The partygoers, who moments ago had filled this room with antics and liveliness, had filed out into the garden, where they were beginning to wind down from their activities by conversing and relaxing while bathing in the warm glow of the setting sun.

Meaning they were ignorant to the bubbly infiltrator who was currently floating around in the living room.

Poipole had arrived outside the house around twenty minutes prior, and when she saw the numerous people and Pokémon inside the house she had teleported to, she had decided to hide in the bushes. Afterall, if she was going to befriend _The_ Great Defender, she needed to know more about him, and she figured she could do that better by investigating his house.

Rather surprisingly, she hadn't seen the Great Defender once during the whole party, meaning either he wasn't there, or she just hadn't seen him. Which led the young Poipole to many wild speculations.

'Maybe he can turn invisible on a whim,' she thought excitedly as she watched one of the humans, who seemed to be wearing some of the human clothing she had heard about but was missing the cloth around their chest, pouring themselves a cup of colourful liquid. 'Or maybe he can teleport, allowing him to move without being seen.'

While she thought these speculations through, she floated around the empty living room and began searching for something that could help her. She found various pieces of leftover food, which she had to resist tasting with every fibre of willpower in her body, and several strange human artefacts she couldn't even begin to fathom strewn about, but nothing which told her anything about the Great Defender.

Until she turned the corner and found a goldmine.

There, neatly place and organised, were numerous sets of polished pieces of metal, each set placed in a glass-covered box which proudly displayed them for all to see. Next to each box, was an engraved piece of metal, each having the name _'Ash Ketchum'_ marked into them along with a placement. Poipole assumed, from the numbering she could see, that they were placements for a tournament, something she had seen plenty of happen between the other Ultra Beasts.

They were a competitive bunch and a good tournament was a healthy outlet. That was what Mr Buzzwole had said to her when she asked why they would constantly fight each other in the arenas.

'So he competes in human competitions and does very well in them,' Poipole noted mentally, sorely tempted to write it down to remember it better, as she continued to observe the various awards. Because they didn't stop there.

Not by a long shot.

As well as just over half a dozen sets of the pieces of metal, which almost seemed to be like some kind of mark of success to go with the tournament placements, there were several trophies. There were ones which were rewards for races, others which were displays of skill, and more still which proved his prowess in unorthodox battles. There were even some small pieces of material which had been fashioned in such a way that it could almost be like an accessory for a human's outfit, something which Poipole was very interested in. She also assumed that these accessories were also symbols of some level of success, based on their placement with the rest of the rewards.

But despite the various displays of skill, prowess, and success that the Great Defender had, Poipole's eye was drawn to something else, something that seemed to take precedence over these rewards based on how everything was laid out.

Photos. Lots, and lots, of photos.

Poipole had seen photos before, so she knew that they were like drawings of real life, moments captured by a machine to be kept afterwards (instead of a mini-dimension which had captured whatever was in the photo, like she had originally believed when she first saw one). But throughout the display of skill and overflowing onto the next display cabinet that was present, was numerous photos of the Great Defender. And never on his own.

In some, there was his iconic champion, the small yellow battler who was immensely more dangerous than he looked, and someone who Poipole personally looked up to as proof that small creatures like her could be powerful and respected, was present by his side. In some photos, he was perched on the Great Defender's shoulder, looking out at something Poipole couldn't determine. In others, they were side by side, devouring bowls of food together. And in a few, he was standing in front of the Great Defender, seemingly waiting for orders in some form of challenge.

And he wasn't the only one of the Great Defender's champions in the photos either. There were multiple photos of different groups of Pokémon, with the Great Defender himself usually sporting some different type of outfit in these photos, and with the Pokémon themselves changing throughout. There were some photos were the groups were small, only for the same Pokémon to appear in another photo in a different form and with new teammates. They always seemed to be taken in different locations, with none of the backgrounds ever looking exactly the same. Sometimes they were similar, with the forest backgrounds being particularly hard to distinguish, but even Poipole with her limited travel experience could tell that they weren't the same forest.

And then there was this one photo, which was filled to the brim with Pokémon, all of them having appeared in previous photos. They all seemed to be vying for space, visibly pushing and shoving against one another. And in the centre of the mass of Pokémon, was the Great Defender, a grin so bright that even through the photo, it almost blinded Poipole.

And it wasn't just Pokémon either. There were numerous photos with the Great Defender and other humans, who Poipole presumed was his famed travelling companions. The Great Defender was well known by the Ultra Beasts, and one thing that is certain about him, besides his steadfast determination to defend his world and his small army of determined and skilled champions at his beck and call, was that he **never** stood alone. He always had human companions who were just as willing to stand with him, and against whatever threat he was standing against.

But looking at these photos, it would be easy to miss that fact. Even the Great Defender himself. They all looked… so young. In so many of the photos, the humans just looked like a bunch of kids having fun. They were so commonly bunched together in group hugs for the photos, or in the middle of some kind of activity. There were lots of photos of the humans around campfires, or at beaches, or on the sea, or witnessing some natural phenomenon, and more besides. There were so many photos that they almost covered up a good portion of the Great Defender's rewards. There were even a few drawings scattered into the mix, one particularly standing out of both the Great Defender and his greatest champion.

And they looked so harmless.

These were the champions and defenders of the hated Legendaries, who had saved even the heinous witch-queen Arceus herself from destruction. And yet when Poipole looked at these pictures of them, she saw parts of herself in them. They were young, excitable, inquisitive, and just children in the context of their species. And yet they were famed, by both the warrior Beasts she had grown up, including her own father, and the Legendaries they were about to declare war on, as the ultimate line of defence.

Poipole spent so long looking over the photos, she was completely oblivious to her surroundings. And so, she completely missed when someone else came into the room looking for a snack.

" _Who are you and what are you doing here?"_

Poipole jumped out her skin, and also jumped a good few feet into the air as she floated backwards away from the voice, spinning around to look at who had called her out.

There, floating steadily while holding a paper plate with some form of food on it, was a pink feline who, despite seeming physically harmless and even somewhat placid as their tail twitched constantly behind them, simply radiated a subtle wave of power and experience. Poipole felt every muscle in her body tense up as her discoverer glared at her.

So she did what came most naturally.

"Please don't hurt me! I'm not here to fight! I just wanted to meet the Great Defender!" She pleaded, clasping her hands together and bowing her head, hoping against hope that she didn't get attacked. She wasn't a battler, and if the unease she felt was any indicator, the other Pokémon in the room with her definitely was and was more than capable of hurting her.

To her surprise, the other Pokémon started to giggle, one paw raised over their mouth as they tried to muffle the high-pitched sound.

" _So you're a fan as well? That's fair, I can understand that. He_ is _pretty cool. Though I haven't heard that one before that. Great Defender… where did that one come from?"_

Poipole raised her head, looking at the pink Pokémon with shock and confusion. She wasn't going to attack? At all? Had her pleading worked and gotten through to their sense of morality? Or was she ever actually in danger?

"Erm… my dad and his friends all call him that. It's the only thing I've heard him be called," Poipole explained, before turning to the display again and pointing at the boxes on the shelves, "but quick question, what are those pieces of metal for? What do they represent?"

The Pokémon looked straight at Poipole, and a wide, ecstatic grin broke out, and she even began to tremble a little bit.

" _Oh, let me tell you about those gym badges. It'll be my genuine pleasure,"_ she said, zipping over to Poipole and placing her plate on a nearby side, _"and my name is Mew by the way, what's yours?"_

Poipole simply blinked a few times, before allowing a small smile to form on her face.

"Poipole. My name is Poipole."

* * *

Sometimes, Bulbasaur hated being the reasonable one in the group. He really did.

From the moment they had fallen out of the portal, which was a sentence that shouldn't be as casual as it is, Bulbasaur had been forced to pick up the slack. While the Pokémon he was with weren't necessarily incompetent, they weren't the leader type.

With him was Infernape, who was undoubtedly one of the more mentally balanced Pokémon that Ash had, barring the explosive temper, who was quite happy to follow Bulbasaur's directives but not take charge himself. There was also Gliscor, who, again, was relatively sane in the grand scale of Ash's family, but not the type who could take charge and get them out of this situation. There was also the young Popplio, who Bulbasaur knew was part of the Alolan crew but hadn't interacted with much due to everything that had happened over the last few days.

But there were certainly worse Pokémon to be stuck with in this type of situation, 'like Heracross,' Bulbasaur thought angrily to himself as he checked over his shoulder for the sap drinker. Years of being jumped on by the bug type had made that reflex a strong muscle memory for Bulbasaur.

Regardless, Bulbasaur had been forced to take charge, and while he normally wouldn't mind that, right now, he did not feel confident in his abilities. They were stuck, in a random forest that Bulbasaur couldn't place, on their own and with varying degrees of injury. Infernape was still winded after unleashing Blaze in the last fight to defeat a large group of Ultra Beasts, and Gliscor's wings had been heavily singed, leaving Gliscor temporarily grounded.

Bulbasaur was not good in this kind of situation. He was good at maintaining calm and rallying his family, so they didn't fall apart in tough situations. He was a mentor, a guider, and someone who knew how to help the younger Pokémon find their place in Ash's family or reassure them of their skills and worth. He wasn't good at being a leader, he wasn't good at exploring and discovery, and he wasn't the one who could lead them out of this forest. Afterall, he travelled with Ash across both Kanto and Johto, and they spent most of their being lost.

Thinking of Ash, Bulbasaur wished that he was here right now. Despite the fact that everyone else was looking up to him, he always relegated to someone else's command. At Oak's ranch, he was mostly enforcing the rules that his family, rather unsurprisingly, seemed to regularly break. When he travelled with Ash, he helped the young and, at the time, inexperienced trainer to keep control of his headstrong and stubborn Pokémon who shared too many similarities with him. Without someone to guide them, Bulbasaur felt just as lost as everyone else did.

But, despite wanting to, he couldn't let this unease be seen, he reminded himself as he gripped his egg tighter with his vines. While this wasn't what he was used to, they couldn't afford for him to lose his cool. Too much was going on for them to waste time, and if he lost his cool than Ash could count them out of the next fight, which Bulbasaur knew for a fact was coming. Based on how quickly the Ultra Beasts had escalated their efforts from a quick attack which was stopped by Garchomp, to a full-scale war with an army at their back, there was no way it **wasn't** going to escalate.

Which meant that time was against them, so they needed to find Ash quickly.

Shame that they couldn't find themselves though, since they had been aimlessly walking around for a few hours now and were no closer to knowing where they were. Something which irritated Bulbasaur greatly.

And unfortunately, the others had already figured out why he was so annoyed by that fact.

"You've got Ash's sense of direction, haven't you?" Gliscor asked humourlessly, a grin evident on her face as she waggled her eyebrows annoyingly. Bulbasaur could already feel a vein in his head pulsing in annoyance when Infernape began to chime in.

"You'd think the _Grass type_ would know their way around a forest. But not Ash's Grass types. They can fight their way through hordes of interdimensional creatures but can't find their way through nature's path. Only we have that paradox about us." Infernape added, speaking in the same tone a show host would use when introducing their next guest star.

Bulbasaur was _this_ close to snapping at them, which he knew would probably just make them laugh harder at him but make him feel a hell of a lot better, when he heard a noise from behind him.

"Get down!" He hissed, causing everyone to drop to the ground in a hurry, allowing the surrounding shrubbery to cover their bodies naturally. The newly created silence created by their shift into hiding allowed Bulbasaur to listen more intently to the noise. It sounded like a distant jet engine, with built up wind whooshing through the forest canopy and the sound of something tearing through branches and bushes with their own bulk, tearing them apart with ease.

The others had picked up on the sound by now, and all shared the look of confusion that Bulbasaur had on his face as they tried to name the sound.

"Is that a jet?" Infernape questioned quietly, with Gliscor shaking her head.

"Jets are much louder than that, even from a distance. If whatever is causing that sound is as close as it feels, then it can't be a jet." Gliscor whispered, looking even more confused the longer the sound went on.

And it was getting louder.

Suddenly, tearing through the shrubbery with an explosive sonic boom, a blue blur rushed over their heads, hitting the floor next to them and tearing up the ground as it slowed down. With a cloud of leaves, dirt, and splinters clouding them, Bulbasaur couldn't tell who the blur was, but it definitely was a Pokémon.

As the dust cloud began to settle, more distinct features began to appear. A thick purple mane which flowed with the wind, which despite having died down was still blowing strongly, white diamond shaped markings across the slim blue body, and two streamer-like tails which, for some reason, flowed forward instead of backwards.

The Pokémon in question slowly turned, eyeing the small group with an intent eye, their blood red eyes boring deep into Bulbasaur's soul.

But Bulbasaur didn't feel threatened, not now that he recognised who they were dealing with.

"Surprised to see one of the Legendary Beasts 'round these parts." Bulbasaur called out, causing the quadruped Pokémon to laugh in a deep tone.

"Well, it's more surprising to see some of the Chosen One's Pokémon here than it is myself. Especially without said Chosen One. How exactly did you end up in Unova?" Suicune asked, making no attempt to mask the amused tone she had.

Bulbasaur chuckled at this, and at the fact that he heard both Infernape and Gliscor mutter behind him, "so THAT'S where we are." But at the same time, he also heard the gasping sound of someone being face to face with a Legendary. Turning around, he couldn't help but smile at the sight of Popplio staring wide eyed at Suicune.

Suicune also seemed amused by this, as she walked up to stand next to the Grass type.

"New member of the team? They seemed relatively unused to this." She asked, which Bulbasaur shook his head at.

"One of Ash's companion's actually. Lots of potential, but definitely new to this. Give 'em a minute and they'll be fine."

Suicune nodded at this and lowered herself down to Popplio's level.

"It's nice to meet you, my name is Suicune. I hope this isn't too overwhelming for you." Suicune greeted, which simply caused Popplio to absently nod at her. Satisfied, Suicune turned back to Bulbasaur.

"I must say, it is nice to meet you as well. I've heard a lot about the calm, guiding presence that is Bulbasaur. It's nice to meet the one capable of reigning in the insanity of the Chosen One's battlers."

Bulbasaur nodded in thanks, before looking up at the Legendary, taking note of the bottle tied around her neck.

"Preparing a gift for Ash?" Bulbasaur asked, earning himself a nod from Suicune, "Interesting, well maybe you can help us. We find ourselves separated from our trainer due to… unpredictable circumstances. Could you help us try and find him?"

Suicune looked at the Grass type curiously, before nodding once with vigour.

"It would be my genuine pleasure. Where should we start?"

* * *

"These vents are stupidly large. Who designed this place?" Seismitoad asked out loud, as the large group of Pokémon made their way through the ventilation system of the Aether Paradise, causing a few sniggers to ring out.

After rescuing and freeing Seismitoad, Emboar, Hawlucha, Dawn, and Kiawe, the united group had split into two to achieve their goals. One group, consisting of Swellow, Glalie, Hawlucha, and Kiawe had gone to the built-in dock to secure a boat for their escape. They had taken the unconscious body of Dawn with them, not wanting to risk her getting hurt or captured by the Aether Foundation. The rest of the group had decided to try and find out what the Aether Foundation were up to.

Because they were definitely up to something. What, they didn't know. But if there was one thing they were sure of, it was that they weren't up to something good.

They did, after all, have a laundry list of questions that they wanted answered. Why were they capturing Ash's Pokémon and companions? What value did they have to the Foundation? What did they know about Ultra Beasts? And how did they find this out? How were they able to trace the portals they had all fallen through, given that they weren't even related to the Ultra Beasts. And most importantly, what were their motivations?

Fuelled by their need for these questions to be answered, the large group had begun exploring the large facility. After a few minutes of tearing apart computer rooms in search of information, and after knocking out about a dozen witnesses and hiding their unconscious bodies, they had managed to find an entrance to the ventilation system. It may have been a movie cliché, but they were big enough to fit everyone in and would mean they could travel through the facility without having to stop every few minutes to knock out more guards and hide their bodies.

And now, they were looking through a grate in the ventilation above what seemed to be a large office with two people in it. One was dressed in what seemed to be a lab coat and a pair of green goggles and was clutching a notepad tightly. With him was a slender looking woman with hair that reminded the group of one of the Ultra Beasts they had had the misfortune of battling only a few hours prior, who did not, to undersell it, look pleased.

"So you mean to tell me, that there was a _literal_ swarm of potential captures for us to make, and not only did we not manage to see this coming, despite all the funding I've put into the developing of UB tracking equipment, but we also failed to respond **at all** to the situation until it was already resolved. Is that correct Branch Chief?" The woman asked, causing the man to squirm on the spot by rubbing their legs together nervously and drumming their fingers on the notepad.

"Yes, unfortunately so, Miss President. Rest assured, I'm preparing to discipline the ones responsible for this incompetence as soon as we're done here." The man responded, causing the woman to glare at him even more.

"You will do no such thing unless I _explicitly_ order you to. Because you may find that we have different views on who is incompetent in this situation."

The man paled at this and gulped so loudly that every Pokémon in the ventilation above them could hear it. The woman kept her glare consistent for a few moments longer, before relenting and sitting down at their desk.

"But enough for now about that, tell me about you later, acquisition, that you acquired. Are you making progress with the Legendary?"

Everyone perked up at this, sharing looks with each other that all asked the same question: 'Legendary?'

The man perked up at this as well, puffing their chest out as they flipped a page on their notepad.

"Yes, actually, I'm happen to say that we've made phenomenal progress on that front. The interns have managed to identify it as the Legendary Pokémon Hoopa, and that its main ability is to open portals which seem to have no limitations. By integrating the Pokémon with one of our UB scanners, we've managed to fine-tune the frequency it gives out for its portals, to discover that it recently opened eighteen of them in the past six hours, two of them being for its own personal travel." The man reported proudly, causing everyone to pale. They had captured Hoopa!

"With the current range of our scanners, we've managed to pinpoint the location of two portals it recently opened in relatively close proximity to Aether Paradise, both in the Alola region. We'd sent teams to both of those locations, and while one came back with nothing, the other came back with multiple Pokémon, one of your child's friends, and, the true prize of our efforts, a genuine Symbiont Ultra Beast. All are being kept in the labs downstairs for further study."

This caused the woman to smile evilly, bright white teeth shining through the smile, unsettling all the Pokémon looking through the grate. The smile only lasted a moment though, as it faded as she seemed to consider something.

"And the Pokémon? They belong to the _supposed_ Chosen One, correct?" She asked, gaining a nod from the scientist before carrying on, "Interesting. Make sure they don't escape. Triple the guards if you have to. Quadruple them for all I care. Just know, that if they escape, it's on your head."

"Well, that's not going to work." Squirtle muttered, almost causing the group to burst out laughing right there and then. Fortunately, they managed to hold themselves together and not give away their location.

Taking this command as his cue to leave, the scientist hurried out of the room, with the woman staying in there for only a moment longer, as she gathered a few items and strolled out, dialling a number on a phone as she closed the door behind them. With both the people gone, the group of Pokémon began to debate amongst themselves.

"We need to stop them now."

"No, we need to find Hoopa. Did you hear them? He's been hooked up to some kind of machine. We've gotta get him outta there."

"How did she know about Ash being the Chosen One? And did she seem so interesting in keeping us locked up?"

"How do they have scanners capable of tracking the Ultra Beasts? They've clearly had them for a while as well. Who **are** these people?"

Squirtle, who had been sitting quietly while the others argued, finally stood up and threw his arms in the air, gaining everyone's attention.

"Alright everyone, here's the plan. We clearly have a time limit now before they find out we're here and walking about. If they go and check on that lab, they're gonna find out we're long gone. And we should try to be gone _long_ before then. So, here's the plan. We're gonna find Hoopa and break him out of here. We're gonna track down those scanners and smash them to pieces. We can't have them tracking _us_ or the Ultra Beasts. If, and only if, we have time, we'll try and find out more. Otherwise, we jump in the boat the others have lined up and get out of here quicker than you can say 'They're getting away!' Sound good?"

Everyone nodded at this and begun shuffling as quickly as they could through the ventilation. They had a Legendary to free.

* * *

After thanking the Rangers for their help, Ash and his crew mounted up onto the back of the Tauros. The lead Tauros had filled Ash in on their adventure and was now the victim of lots of jokes from the Tauros.

"We managed to travel across Johto in less than a day. How did it take you the better part of a year?"

"We even got lost, so you can't even use that as an excuse."

"To be fair though, it was fun. We should go back to Ecruteak City someday. That nice lady did some delightful tea."

"And I think we need to go apologise to the people of Mahogany Town. I think we ruined their Sunday afternoon."

"We didn't even get to explore Johto's safari zone. Wasted opportunity."

Ash chuckled as the topic of discussion began to shift, enjoying listening to the Tauros herd as everyone else climbed onto their backs. Everyone else was gearing up for the next leg of their journey, travelling across the Johto border into Kanto and making their way into Pallet Town. Ash had already mounted the lead Tauros and had Larvitar in his lap, who looked incredibly excited about the prospect of leaving the Mount Silver area.

Before they set off though, Ash spotted someone watching over them in the distance, and decided to nudge Larvitar to alert him to the silent watcher.

In the distance, watching from a mountain ledge, was Tyranitar, Larvitar's mother, standing stoically over them. With a small smile, Tyranitar nodded at both Larvitar and Ash, before turning away and disappearing into a cave.

Feeling drops of liquid on his legs, Ash looked down to see Larvitar shedding a few tears, and placed his hand on his head.

"You're doing a brave thing Larvitar. Leaving home is never easy, especially if it's all you've ever known. But just know, your mom, and not to mention me, are incredibly proud of you." Ash said, causing Larvitar to smile nervously, before looking ahead at the road ahead of them.

"Your journey starts today Larvitar, let's make it a good one."

And so, after checking that everyone else was ready, Ash gave the command, and the Tauros herd rushed ahead, beginning the next leg of their journey across Johto, and taking the first step into Kanto.

* * *

Hey everyone, TWoS here again with another upload.

February has been a good month for this story. It's probably because I'm procrastinating doing my actual work, but that's just how I am. Working on this instead of doing uni work. Good for you lot I guess, not so good for me.

But screw it.

Anyway, I had fun with this chapter, especially since it's quite a productive one. Hoopa's disappearance has been explained, and now the Aether crew have to go rescue. Another group have been introduced, leaving only one group to be revealed, if my list is correct that is, which I did say in a previous chapter but deleted because there were actually three groups left at that time. This time it's true, I promise. Ash is now on the move, with his new capture with him and now they make their way to Pallet Town. Speaking of Pallet Town…

In Pallet Town we now have Poipole in the mix. This section was an interesting one to write, and I am immensely curious as to what you lot thought of it. There's a lot going on in that segment, and I really would appreciate hearing what you think of that segment. And speaking of feedback, I always love it when you guys leave reviews and send me messages, so please continue to do so. Or if you haven't done it before, feel free to. I try to respond to as many of them as I can, so please do. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.

Until the next time I get motivated to work on this story, I hope you enjoy this chapter and much love as always – TWoS.


	27. Chapter 27

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 27**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Everyone stared at Looker for a moment, before Misty decided to ask the question on everyone's mind.

"What do you mean the Aether Foundation know the truth? What do the Aether Foundation of all things have to do with this?"

"What's the Aether Foundation?" Paul asked, causing everyone to look at him funnily.

"You haven't heard of the Aether Foundation?" Misty asked, crossing her arms as she glared at him with an unimpressed look, "How have you not heard of the Aether Foundation? Everyone has heard of them, they're in the news all the time. They're the group that have been rescuing hurt Pokémon and healing them. Ring any bells?" Misty asked, causing Paul to simply shake his head.

"I spend most of my time travelling and training, I don't really go into cities much apart from for gym battles or supplies. I also don't bother with the news; too often Ash is on it."

Shaking her head, she turned back towards Looker, who had taken this opportunity to sit down and lean back against a tree, taking large swigs from his flask, and began pointing at him aggressively.

"Ignore him, carry on with what you were saying. The Aether Foundation know something about Ultra Beasts. Why?"

Looker sighed as he hesitated, looking over again at Azelf, who was lying with the other Pokémon who had settled down to listen to Looker's story, before resigning himself to this and began talking again.

"What I mean by that is, according to every lead and contact that I've been able to procure while working as part of the UB Task Force, that the Aether Foundation know more about the Ultra Beasts than they let on. I'm often required to speak to them since they've gathered some information on the Ultra Beasts in the past. It's somewhat limited but they often discover small disturbances caused by Ultra Beasts when going out to rescue Pokémon."

"However, they are finding information from us, as an inside contact revealed to me. They are actively tracking down these Ultra Beast disturbances and have specialised technology and equipment to do so. From what I've heard, it's a secret obsession of the organisation's owner, President Lusamine, to procure Ultra Beasts for herself. For what purpose, if there is one, we're unaware of."

This caused the group to mutter to themselves, as they thought about this. Azelf, rather surprisingly, was saying nothing, silently contemplating to herself as the others argued. Eventually, Paul spoke up.

"But if they're lying to you, the _police_ , surely you can do something about it?"

But Looker simply shook his head in response, chuckling as he did.

"I wish it were that simple. But with no evidence of them doing any crimes, I can't get a permit. And without a permit, I'd be breaking and entering. I've been tempted to do that for a while now, but as an accomplished International Police Officer; I refuse to risk my career for something so petty."

Paul nodded, rubbing his chin as he stepped back, allowing Misty to step back forward and for Looker to continue.

"Regardless, due to the contact only having limited access, we're not sure how much the Foundation actually knows. All we do know is that they've been extensively researching the Ultra Beasts and have actual knowledge of their culture, if you could even call it that, and detailed information on their anatomy. What specifically they know, is unavailable to us."

As Looker finished, Misty continued glaring at him, before she began to wave her hand in a circular motion with an annoyed look.

"And? What does this have to do with the Legendaries? You can't tell us that's all you know after saying that these things are here for revenge against the Legendaries. What do they have to do with it?"

" **That** information, is something we've managed to procure for ourselves. From the sites where the Ultra Beasts have entered our world previously, barring instances where they seem to be targeting humans, all seem to indicate some form of interaction with Legendaries that have gone sour. We don't know what sparked this conflict, but its evident that there _was_ a conflict."

" _A conflict that we hoped had been buried."_

Everyone turned towards Azelf, who was staring off into the distance, whose eyes suddenly widened as she realised what she just said.

" _I… I didn't mean to say that."_ She whispered, horror seeping into her words as she covered her mouth. Misty, actually calming down from talking with Looker, stepped toward Azelf gingerly.

"You know what the conflict was about?" She asked with a calm tone, trying not to spook Azelf, as she seemed to be internally freaking out over her slip up. Azelf managed to nod slightly, staring off vacantly into the forest, causing Misty to edge closer.

"Ok, can you tell us what is was about?" She tried, feeling disappointed when Azelf shook her head. "Why can't you tell us? I can kinda understand why you don't wanna tell the useless policemen over there," she explained, causing Looker to exclaim indignantly, "but our lives are actually in danger because of this. We kinda **need** to know. Ash especially."

This caused Azelf to squirm on the spot, her two tails rubbing against each other, mirroring her hand movements. As Misty stepped even closer, Azelf made more and more of an effort to avoid eye contact. Misty, running out of patience, just sighed deeply and dropped to the floor to sit down across from the blue Legendary, causing the other Pokémon to edge even closer as their curiosity increased.

"Listen Azelf, I'm going to level with you. I don't know what kind of Legendary you are 'cos we haven't met before. The fact that you've let yourself be caught by Ash means that you clearly trust him and have some kind of close relationship with him. But I've had just about enough of Legendaries being useless."

The collected group looked at her in surprise, especially Looker, who looked horrified at the fact that this random redhead was going to mouth off about the Legendaries… IN FRONT OFF A LEGENDARY!

Paul on the other hand, while shocked, was more curious than anything. He knew that this girl had obviously met Legendaries while travelling with Ash, so was intrigued to hear about her experiences with them. She probably had a better understanding of the mythical creatures than any Professor or organisation, so this would be an interesting experience.

"I travelled with Ash for about a year and a half, across two regions and an archipelago. During that time, I have met more Legendaries than most people even catch glimpses of. I've met Lugia, Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Mewtwo, Entei, Suicune, Celebi, Latios, and Latias, a list that would make most people jealous. And do you want to know what I've learnt from my experiences with all these so-called powerful Pokémon?"

Azelf shook her head, immensely curious as to what she thought. This was different to the fear experienced by Ash's Alolan companions, and the awe laced with a sense of duty that Ash had and understanding Misty might help Azelf to understand human's perception of the Legendaries better. She leaned in as Misty took a deep breath to continue.

"You Legendaries are actually **useless!** "

This caused everyone to splutter in surprise, and even caused Unfezant, who had been chilling on a nearby branch, to fall off and crash to the ground.

"I mean, how useless do you have to be if you _constantly_ rely on the likes of Ash? Don't get me wrong, having been with him since he basically started, I can tell you he's come a long way. He is certainly a top-class trainer now, even if he doesn't realise it." She then paused for a moment before she realised what she said and turned to the rest of the group. "None of you are going to repeat that to him, understand? He'll never let it go."

Once everyone nodded their agreement to this, she carried on.

"But even now, after years of experience in battling and saving Legendaries, he's only fifteen. He still has so much to learn. The poor idiot doesn't even understand the concept of dating yet. And yet beings with the power to literally reshape continents rely on him to save them? I mean, come on!"

Azelf didn't say anything, but just blinked as she processed this. Why _did_ they rely on Ash so much? Sure, he was a competent trainer, but he was still a child. Even when Ash had saved her, her sisters, and the whole of the Sinnoh region from the plans of Team Galactic, he was only about thirteen. Why did they put so much on someone who had barely hit puberty?

"And you lot being reliant on him would be somewhat questionable _now_. He started doing this when he was still **ten**. I had to save him from drowning after he risked his life to save, not only Lugia and Shamouti Island in the Orange Archipelago, but the entire world. We both ten at the time. And he was _destined_ to do that. How can you justify that?"

Azelf had to look away, since she couldn't give an answer. There wasn't an answer. How _could_ they justify that? Even as someone who had benefitted from this, she couldn't think of a proper response. And the worse part, the thing that really made Azelf feel sick deep in her core.

They hadn't even thought to thank him until a few days ago.

Misty, ignoring Azelf and her self-reflection, just carried on.

"I'm sure Ash doesn't mind, he's just happy to help. That's one of his better qualities, his willingness to always help people, regardless of who they are. But he'd happily give his life if it'd save someone else. I don't know whether that makes him a hero or an idiot. But me? I don't like that his life is being put on the line for you guys. You're useless. That's it."

Finally done with her rant, she took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she composed herself. Everyone else was just in shocked silence, looking at her in amazement. Looker, who had held the Legendaries in high regard previously, even having various charms bearing the likeness of the Legendaries for good luck, was now reconsidering everything he knew about them.

Azelf stayed silent, before giving a small smile at Misty as she turned to face her.

" _You're right. There is no justification for this. And Ash does deserve the truth, he'll need it for the next encounter. I will share this information with you, but we'll wait until Ash is amongst us again. This is not the kind of information you say aloud more than once. For the moment, we'll focus on finding him; and then I'll share what I know. You have my word."_

Misty nodded at this, pushing herself up off the ground while also dusting herself off.

"Right then, I guess that means we need to get moving. Let's get out of this stupid forest and find that moron. If he hasn't gotten himself…" Misty paused as she spotted something not too far away from her, causing her to shriek in fear.

"IS THAT A CATERPIE? GET IT AWAY FROM ME!"

* * *

Of all the crazy, bizarre, and downright outlandish things that Lycanroc had experienced in the last few days, he never would have imagined a placed like this **could** exist, never mind actually existing and _thriving._

An Ash Ketchum fan club building.

In the middle of a forest.

With a tour.

Lycanroc and his three companions; Kingler, Torkoal, and Steene, had arrived outside what seemed to be a small reserve, with multiple Pokémon just lazing about and enjoying the atmosphere. In the middle of this strange reserve, was two buildings. Near a small pond, there was a wooden hut, worn and weathered from years of existing in the forest, which seemed well lived in. Next to it, looking considerably newer and a little bit out of place, was a large facility which had the words "Hidden Village Sanctuary – part of the Ash Ketchum fan community" plastered onto the front sign.

Which was a bit of a shock to say the least.

Turns out that the larger building doubled as a Pokécentre for the sick and recovering Pokémon in this sanctuary and as a museum focused on one of the Kanto region's native celebrities. Which led to Lycanroc and the others joining the tour to hear about both the Hidden Village and their trainer.

Naturally.

"The Hidden Village Sanctuary was sanctioned by the Kanto Pokémon League just under three years ago, and this facility was built two years ago, all with the sole aim of providing aid and relief to injured and abandoned Pokémon. It became linked with the trainer Ash Ketchum, in part due to his well-known nature as a guardian for Pokémon, but due to his personal history with the Hidden Village." The tour guide explained to the group following her, including Lycanroc and his companions, who were all listening intently.

"You see, five years ago, Ash Ketchum travelled here in his journey through Kanto, and discovered this place by accident. After protecting this place from an attack by the criminal organisation Team Rocket, he befriended and caught Bulbasaur, the very same Bulbasaur he used in the Indigo Plateau Conference, the Silver Conference, and in his battle in the Battle Frontier against the Pyramid King Brandon. Here, we have a photo taken at the time of Ash battling for Bulbasaur's capture." The tour guide continued, waving her hand toward a framed photo, which had a much younger Ash and Pikachu battling against Bulbasaur with the lake from outside acting as a backdrop.

Lycanroc decided to take this moment to break off from the group and look at the various displays and photos. Lots of them were focused on Ash's profession battle history, with photos from every major tournament, competition, and league that he had competed in on full display. Lots of them also included Ash's Pokémon, with entire displays dedicated to his more popular Pokémon. There was one for Pikachu, obviously, Charizard, his iconic powerhouse from the looks of the display, Bulbasaur, the local champion so to speak, and ones for each regional team that Ash had formed.

'I wonder if I'll ever get added to these displays.' Lycanroc wondered to himself as he glossed over the photos, even finding photos of the two Pokémon in Ash's team who were with him.

There was a photo of Kingler knocking out a Seadra with his Crabhammer during the Indigo Plateau Conference, a battle which, according to the bits of text around the photo, Kingler won singlehandedly. Causing Lycanroc to look over at Kingler with shock, who was listening with apt attention to the tour guide who was now going into detail about Bulbasaur's history with the Hidden Village as its previous guardian.

'Huh, wouldn't have thought he'd have it in it. Good on you Kingler.' Lycanroc thought before turning back to the photos to look for one of his other companion.

He soon found it, with a photo that was absolute picturesque, with Torkoal using a powerful Flamethrower against a Dark Pulse fired by a Darkrai no less. It said in the linked text that Torkoal lost moments after this photo, but it was still impressive how he had stood up at all against the well trained Legendary.

Lycanroc was so engrossed in looking at these photos, he never noticed a presence walk up towards him.

"It's strange to think that the same person who falls asleep in class every other day is the same person who this place is praising so highly. If it weren't for what I'd personally see him do, especially for _my_ trainer, then I'd be tempted to dismiss it as lies." Steene muttered, causing Lycanroc to jump slightly before he quickly composed himself.

"I don't blame you on that. I think back to all the stuff I have done with him, all the ways he's helped me, and I know for a fact that he is a good trainer. But all of this? This is just… strange."

They remained silent for a moment, enjoying the displays for a bit longer before Steene spoke again.

"So Ash is the Chosen One, right?" She asked, which Lycanroc nodded to. "How are you dealing with that? Must have been strange."

Lycanroc just shrugged, while shifting his gaze across the displays, before speaking again.

"Well I've known for a while actually. Ash told me and the others one night when he was stargazing. He seems to do that whenever he's in a reflective mood. He then told us, with Pikachu filling in on details, that he was the Chosen One. He told us the story of how he was travelling the Orange Archipelago, got told about the legend of the Chosen One and how he was a part of the prophecy, and how he then saved the world alongside Lugia. One of the best bedtime stories I've ever had."

"Doesn't that make you a Chosen Pokémon though? That's a big deal, even back home in Alola. Imagine if the entire region knew. Imagine if this fan club knew." Steene commented, which caused Lycanroc to chuckle.

"I think that's why Ash is such a good person at heart. Why he is such a suitable Chosen One. Because he isn't about the fame, not really. He may want to be the best trainer that ever was, but he wants to **earn** that. He wants to be praised on his actual skill, rather than his title. He could have boasted about being the Chosen One for all those years, and have people waiting on him hand and foot. But he hasn't. He just wants to be a good trainer."

Steene smiled at this, in silent agreement with Lycanroc as they stared at the display. They both knew that Ash, deep down, wasn't interested in being a celebrity. He would probably enjoy knowing about this place, but that wasn't his motivation. And they couldn't help but find that admirable.

Their silent joy and reflection was interrupted by one of the tour members suddenly screaming out in excitement.

"OH MY GOD! THAT'S ASH'S KINGLER AND TORKOAL!"

'Uh oh.' Lycanroc and Steene thought simultaneously, as the entire tour group turned to face the small group of Pokémon.

* * *

Sceptile sliced through some branches to clear the way as they trudged through the forest, slowly making their way through the shrubbery towards civilisation.

After May had recovered from being expelled from Nihilego's body, the group had decided to try and find a nearby town. Both to try and get an idea of where they were so they can make a proper plan of action, and to try and get May some proper medical attention. While she had managed to shrug off the effects of being inside Nihilego for the most part, evident by the fact that she was walking around unsupported (even if it was with a slight limp) and talking quite happily with Lana, she still wasn't in the best shape.

So seeing a doctor of any kind would do her a world of good.

Which was how they ended up forging their way through the forest. Sceptile was leading the way, with Greninja following close behind and assisting in making the path as accessible for the others as possible. Following closely behind was the two humans, who were chatting away to each other as Lana did her best to bring May up to date on the recent events that had happened over the last few days, which she took well. She seemed rather unsurprised all things considered. And with them, refusing to stand further than a few feet away from their trainer, was the fired up Blaziken, who kept turning around every few minutes to throw death glares at the one responsible for May's current ailments.

Hovering just above them, acting like an early warning system for the two humans, was Staraptor, whose keen eyes were on constant alert for a potential threat. And taking up the rear, lumbering behind at a short distance were Snorlax and Nihilego, who was eyeing up the group wearily. Snorlax was making a point of keeping the Nihilego within arm's reach, making a point of illustrating just have strong he was despite his fat appearance by either effortlessly smashing aside branches or gripping parts of the Nihilego harder than necessary.

Which was clearly making the Nihilego uncomfortable.

'Good.' Sceptile thought, as he slashed through another few branches.

They continued onward, pushing their way through the forest until they started to hear a loud shriek and someone shouting off in the distance.

"IS THAT A CATERPIE? GET IT AWAY FROM ME!"

The loud scream caused the group to become much more alert, with Sceptile and Greninja tensing up, already jumping into action.

"Staraptor! Blaziken! Protect the humans! Snorlax! Guard Nihilego!" Sceptile ordered, before leaping through the bush alongside Greninja, dual Leaf Blades brandished as he landed on his feet. But what they found was not what they were expecting.

"Misty?" Sceptile asked, as he saw the familiar redhead hide away from a small, and relatively harmless, bug type.

There in front of them, was a number of familiar faces. Misty, Ash's rival Paul, Pidgeot, Rotom-Dex, Primeape, Unfezant, Azelf, and a strange man in a trench coat, who Sceptile vaguely remembered the others talking about at some point, but not remembering a name.

The rest of Sceptile's group shortly followed, all in mild shock over their discovery.

While everyone was focused on each other, Nihilego suddenly lashed out, striking Snorlax with a Poison Jab, causing him to wince in pain and pull his hand away from Nihilego. With this newly created opening, Nihilego dashed away, with a distortion suddenly appearing which Nihilego slipped through, disappearing along with the distortion before Blaziken, who was already leaping after it with a charged-up Blaze Kick, leaving nothing but a slightly frustrated and wounded Snorlax, an outraged and cussing Blaziken, and a thoroughly confused host of Pokémon.

" _What just happened?"_

* * *

Ash dug into his dish with gusto, enjoying the first proper meal he had eaten since breakfast.

After two hours of travel on Tauros back, Ash was enjoying the break. He and the others had decided that they needed to stop for something to eat, both due to the intense battle that had occurred in the morning, and the various events that had happened to the various groups after being teleported. So they had set up a fire on a hill overlooking the Kanto border, and cooked up a meal.

Well, Sophocles and Anabel were cooking, Ash mostly was just staying out of the way and making sure the large group of Pokémon were all alright. The Tauros herd were relaxing and catching their after they, according to the herd leader, had travelled all across Johto, starting from the Johto Safari Zone and making their way to Mount Silver. All in one day.

Not bad all things considered.

His Pokémon that had been with Sophocles were enjoying the social activity, with Talonflame in particular being happy to actually be doing something, currently in the middle of a rant about how they had wasted several hours just standing around before the Tauros herd had stumbled onto them.

The Pokémon that had been with him were busy socialising as well, all of them enjoying the break from the long events of the day, which clearly had worn every one of them ragged. One Pokémon in particular who was enjoying this socialisation was Latios, who was lying on the ground with a small smile on his face as he listened to the other talking amiably. He wasn't contributing much, which didn't Ash too much, when Ash had met him, the main Pokémon that Latios seemed to interact with was his sister, so a lack of social skills wouldn't really be that surprising.

Regardless, Ash couldn't help but feel better seeing his Pokémon interact with each other so naturally, even if it was only a small number of his Pokémon.

The reminder of his Pokémon being split up made Ash frown, turning away from the group to look at the Kanto border. Out there, potentially in his home region, potentially in some of the various regions he had travelled to over the years, his Pokémon were lost and alone, with nothing but their own wits and skills to survive on. As much as Ash trusted in his Pokémon, knowing full well that they're more competent than he was, he still worried for them, only wanting them all to be safe and with him again.

Finding that he now wasn't as hungry as he was a moment ago, he put down his plate of food and looked over at his egg, which was leaned up against his bag while he and the others eat. The yellow egg had been unresponsive since Ash had gotten it, making Ash feel a little worried about it. Based on the fact that four of the eggs had already hatched, leading to Absol, Eevee, Lugia, and Ralts joining his family. Bulbasaur's egg hadn't hatched yet, but Ash knew that there was a good chance that it's already hatched while he's been separated from the rest of the group. But all the eggs were clearly close to hatching, and yet there was no sign of life coming from the egg.

Ash had looked after, hatched, and raised Pokémon from eggs before, and while they have caught him off guard when they hatched, there was usually some form of indication of the Pokémon inside the eggs being alive. From the occasional twitch, to a small wobble, or something, there was usually a sign that the egg was developing. _This_ egg however, had shown none of that, making Ash feel somewhat uncomfortable. Was something wrong?

He was so focused on thinking about the egg, he failed to notice the light glow that came from the egg, changing shape into a small humanoid body, before a _huge_ fifth appendage grew out from the back of the Pokémon's head, forming into a massive jaw with rows of pointed teeth jutting out of it. As Ash continued to mull over the egg in his head, the glow surrounding the egg dissipated, revealing a, smaller than average, Mawile.

The Mawile in question, blinking rapidly to clear her eyes as sunlight hit them for the first time in her life, before focusing on Ash. Welling up with excitement, she proceeded to leap into his lap, causing him to jump as he was drawn from his intense thinking session.

"What the… a Mawile?" He asked, his eyes darting from the Mawile to where the egg was just a minute ago, seeing that the egg was gone and was now replaced with the cute Pokémon in his lap.

"Huh, I guess the egg's fine then." He realised, before smiling and wrapping his arms around the little Pokémon snuggling against him.

"Let's go introduce you to the others." He said, standing up and beginning to walk to the others to introduce the newest member of his family.

* * *

Hey everyone, it's TWoS, and I'm back with another chapter for you guys.

I decided to get a chapter out early for March since the next month or two is going to be very busy for me, with a dissertation presentation to do, with all the necessary research, testing, and whatnot to do beforehand. So chances are, I won't be uploading again in March, so I thought I'd get this chapter out to help stave you guys over.

But truth be told, this chapter I'm not fully sold on. There are some elements of it which I'm not fully happy with, no matter how I try and write it, due to the information I needed to get across, and how naturally clunky it is. All my fellow writers will agree with me when I say that writing exposition in an interesting way is **difficult**. Or maybe they won't, and it's just me. Who knows. Either way, I don't know if I'm happy with what I've published in this chapter, especially the section with Looker and Azelf. It just felt clunky and in order for any of it to work I had to also include an introspective on Misty's outlook on Legendaries. Just to make it interesting.

But anyway, this is just more reason why I want to hear from you guys, to see whether or not that part of the chapter actually works, if you liked it, or how you would have done it if you were writing this story. I always love hearing from you guys, and feedback is the best thing for me to get, since I always try to listen to it and improve from it. And I also want to hear what you thought of the chapter as well, since a fair bit happened this chapter.

Also, with the release of this chapter, EVERY group has now been featured at least one in the story. Every individual character who isn't in a Pokéball or part of the main group has now been revealed. There **were** 16 groups to start with, but as you probably know, they've begun to meld together. The current groups look like this:

 **Group 1:** Ash, Anabel, Mawile, Latios, Goodra, Quilava, Larvitar, Talonflame, Heracross, Sophocles, Rowlet, and the Tauros herd

 **Group 2:** Pikachu, Espeon, Absol, Buizel, and Snowy (Lillie's Alolan Vulpix)

 **Group 3:** Latias, Lillie, Mewtwo, Lapras, Totodile, Bianca (Altomare), and Lorenzo

 **Group 4:** Charizard, Eevee, Dewott, Muk, Krookodile, and Iris

 **Group 5:** Torracat, Lugia, Garchomp, Swellow, Glalie, Squirtle, Emboar, Seismitoad, Hawlucha, Kiawe, and Dawn

 **Group 6:** Misty, Paul, Looker, Pidgeot, Rotom-Dex, Primeape, Unfezant, Azelf, Sceptile, May, Snorlax, Staraptor, Greninja, and Lana

 **Group 7:** Bulbasaur, Egg, Infernape, Popplio, Gliscor, and Suicune

 **Group 8:** Lucario, Servine, Donphan, Torterra, Noivern, Nihilego/Serena, Mallow, and Cynthia

 **Group 9:** Meganium, Ralts, Leavanny, Scraggy, Togedemaru, Mew, Poipole, Delia, Professor Kukui, and Professor Oak

 **Group 10:** Butterfree, Noctowl, Gigalith, Corpish, and (other) Mewtwo

 **Group 11:** Lycanroc, Kingler, Torkoal, and Steene

So that's all the teams, and what they're currently looking like. There **are** other elements at play, but these are the main focuses we have right now.

Also, this story just hit **1,200 REVIEWS!** That is insane. And I love it. Please keep reviewing and telling me your opinion, I always love to hear it, even if its bad. Thank you for your continued support, I'll see you all after my next deadline.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, much love to each and every last one of you, see you all in a bit – TWoS.


	28. Chapter 28

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 28**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Charizard shifted his head sharply to the right as he eased himself down, causing it to click and giving him a great sense of relief as he took his weight off his legs. He then did the same action but to the left, giving him a second resounding click as he began to relax.

With the mess with Iris sorted out, he and the others were now all being patched up and healed by the aspiring dragon master, bandaging their wounds and giving them berries to bring their strength back. After the gruelling journey through the icy mountain to get here, Charizard felt that it was well earnt.

But as he began to relax his muscles, his thoughts turned to the current situation. While it was nice to be reunited with Iris again, the hot-headed trainer who had been a joy to travel with when he was brought to Unova, it did present a situation which was rather… problematic to say the least.

They were in Twist Mountain. Which is a mountain range in Unova. Which was problematic for Charizard and his group, because of the fact that they _desperately_ , needed to be in Alola. Or, if not there, wherever in the world Ash currently was. There was also the fact that, due to this little trip, they had literally **no idea** where Ash was. Who was someone you do not leave unattended.

So yeah, they had some problems on their hands.

And despite how much it frustrated Charizard, there wasn't much he could do. They had no idea where Ash was, or how to find him, so they couldn't begin to travel to him, as difficult as that would be on its own. And with no Ultra Beasts in the vicinity, there was no one for him to punch either. So there was no one to protect and no one to fight.

Leaving Charizard with little to do, and a lot to stress about.

Sighing to himself, he failed to notice someone sitting next to him until they nudged him, causing him to gaze over to where they were sitting.

"You alright? You seem kinda spaced out." Dragonite asked gingerly, causing Charizard to chuckle.

"You mean besides the fact that you just attacked us? I'm peachy." Charizard jeered, causing Dragonite to flinch slightly at the jab.

"Sorry about that, I didn't think. We don't usually see other people all the way out here, and despite the fact that Ash hasn't travelled with us for a while, it hasn't exactly stopped weird things from happening. I think he's cursed us in all honestly."

This caused Charizard to laugh out loud, his bellowing laugh echoing in the chasm they were camping in, going so far as to slap his knee.

"You're absolutely right. He's cursed us to a life of oddities and excitement. And I wouldn't wish for anything else in the world."

Dragonite smiled at this, before his gaze shifted to the Pokémon who was currently mingling with Iris' smaller Pokémon.

"So you're a dad now? That's… not something I was expecting."

Charizard nodded at this, before shrugging and looking at Dragonite with a warm smile.

"Me neither. Like I said, a life of oddities. And honestly, this is something that I wasn't expecting to happen but am totally happy with. I can see why Meganium always spoke about being a parent. It's a good life."

The child in question, who was now all patched up and feeling much more elated, was now playing with several of Iris' Pokémon, including her Axew and Emolga, who Charizard recognised from their previous travels together, as well as some newcomers including a Goomy, Charmander, and Gible. Seemed like Iris had been busy.

Charizard grinned as he saw Eevee tackle the Charmander, trying his best to pin the small fire lizard while the others were busy wrestling each other and all laughing while they did so.

The rest of his companions who had been with him were now spread out, with Dewott being with Iris as she wrapped his chest with bandages. Krookodile was sitting off to side along with Excadrill, the two conversing to one another quietly in the distance. And Muk had decided to go in the cabin to sleep in the bath tub in there, since he had a preference for taking bath tub naps.

'Muk is an odd Pokémon,' Charizard mused to himself.

His attention was brought back to his son as he heard a small cheer of victory from him. Focusing on his pup, he saw that the small fur ball had managed to successfully pin down the Charmander, using his paws to hold down the Charmander's arms, rendering the Charmander unable to move. Charizard's heart soared at this, as tears almost threatened to appear in the corner of his eyes. His pup's first win!

The Charmander, however, was not taking his defeat well, and, in a moment of frustration, fired a, weak, Flamethrower at Eevee right in his face. Eevee, having been too busy enjoying his small victory, had failed to see the attack coming, and yelped as the fire attack scorched his fur, causing him to jump off Charmander.

Before Charizard, or anyone, could do anything, Eevee shot the Charmander a glare, one which was a poor but easily recognisable attempt of replicating Charizard's death stare, before he started to glow brightly. Underneath the glow, his body began to change, with his tail and fur beginning to take a more fluffy and bushy shape. The glow then quickly died down, and in place of the small Eevee was a slightly larger, red Pokémon, with a new tuff of hair on his head and a glare in his eyes.

Everyone starred in shock at the Flareon, before said Pokémon suddenly unleashed a Flamethrower at Charmander, leaving the Pokémon with a slightly singed face and wide eyes as the attack dissipated.

"Huh, I didn't think it was possible for a fire type move to trigger an Eevee to evolve," Dragonite mused out loud, before patting Charizard on the back, "Congratulations, by the way. Your son is now a fire type."

But as soon as Dragonite finished saying that, Eevee began to glow again, but instead of growing somewhat larger and developing new features, he seemed to be… losing them? The bushy tail began to shrink and neaten, and the tuff of yellow hair that had grown disappeared, and his overall body size began to shrink.

After a few moments, standing right where he was a few seconds before the first glow happened, was Eevee, who was now standing there with a big grin on his face.

Charizard and Dragonite, as well as all the other Pokémon in the chasm, was now staring at him in complete shock.

"Wow. You **really** weren't kidding about that life of oddities, were you?" Dragonite asked quietly, causing Charizard to nod numbly as he struggled to reign his dropped jaw back in.

Iris, who was equally as shocked, simply dropped the bandages she was holding and looked over at Charizard for a moment.

"Of course Ash has an Eevee who can temporarily evolve! Why wouldn't he? It's only Ash we're talking about!" She yelled into the air, before she began to stalk over to the small cabin where she had been staying.

"I'm finding Ash. I don't care if I have to call every person he knows to do so, I'm finding him, and returning his crazy Pokémon back to him. I swear that stupid kid can't do anything without me."

Charizard watched as she slammed the door behind her, shouting more obscenities at Ash and how he was a disaster magnet (if only she knew), before he began chuckling to himself. With Iris on the case, they'll soon have a destination of where they should be going in order to help Ash, and then Charizard can protect him again.

Until then, he could lament over how his son had just temporarily evolved and then reverted in the space of a few minutes.

But as Charizard gazed over his son, he briefly saw a small glow from his hind leg which looked suspiciously like a psychic pink cat that he knew.

"Mew." He growled to himself, as he grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes. He was going to have words with that Legendary.

* * *

Lucario took another deep breath as his cleared his mind to process the events of the last few hours.

So after being resurrected from his sacrifice to save Ash, he had then gotten into a fight with these strange alien bug Pokémon who, for reasons that he couldn't fathom, wanted to kill Ash while shouting something about him being a 'Great Defender', or something ridiculous like that. And then he was dumped in the middle of some underground temple or ruin and attacked by the region Champion.

Speaking of whom, she was currently in the middle of telling the rest of the Pokémon that had been dumped here with him the story of the ruins they were, going over the engravements and markings which detailed the history of the Creation Trio. While it certainly was an impressive account of history, it was something that was old news even to Lucario… who had been frozen for a thousand years.

It wasn't something that had his immediate attention in all honesty.

Instead, he was focusing on realigning his aura. The spatial displacement followed by the attack from the other Lucario had thrown his entire centre off balance and he needed to refocus himself.

"So is it true that you and Sir Aaron fought a stampede of a hundred Tyranitars in the Alley of Provocatio?"

Which was difficult to do right now.

The same Lucario who had knocked his aura off balance just moments ago, as it turns out, was also a massive fan of him. He had recognised Lucario by his fighting style and was now hounding him with question after question.

Which was distracting to say the least.

Lucario did appreciate the fact that the legend of Sir Aaron still lived on, even in the far-off and cold region of Sinnoh, but he also appreciated his personal space. Which was being violated by this young and impressionable warrior to be.

'The modern world is exhausting,' Lucario thought to himself as his exhaled in his continued rhythm for his meditation.

"Yes, that did happen. Although it was a misunderstanding, the Tyranitars were simply panicked and afraid due to the war, which was encroaching on their territory. We simply subdued them and calmed them enough to help them. It wasn't exactly a standard battle, nor was it one to be glorified."

The other Lucario frowned at this, contemplating this account before protesting stubbornly.

"But that's not what the records say, and these are the records which account everything about you and the influence you had on our understanding of aura. You and Sir Aaron practically redefined the way we understand how to use aura in combat. And this battle was the one where you perfected the double Aura Sphere homing strike; one of the most effective ways to take down a larger opponent."

Lucario rolled his eyes underneath his eyelids, to the point where he was convinced that if his eyes were open even a little bit, that his eyes would roll out of his head. Sighing to himself as he dropped out of his meditative trance, he turned slightly to look straight at the younger Lucario dead on.

"Let me ask you something about these… _records_ , I believed you called them. They supposedly account the tales and trials of myself and Sir Aaron, yes?" Lucario asked, with his modern counterpart nodding in response. "I see. Follow up question, who exactly wrote these records?"

This caused the younger Lucario to frown, confusion apparent on his face and his mouth opening and closing a few times as he tried to form an answer. After a few seconds, he responded.

"… surely it was you or Sir Aaron? Who else would have wrote it?"

Lucario snorted, shaking his head amusedly as he allowed a small smirk to bleed through his features.

"That would have been impressive for either of us considering our fates. While we accomplish many brave feats both before and during the war, we were not of the mindset to make detailed accountings beyond reports to our Queen. Sir Aaron was middle-aged by human standards and I was a few years younger than he. Perhaps once we had become older and wiser, we might have made an account of our stories for future generations. But I was sealed away for a millennium and Sir Aaron sacrificed himself to end the war. Whoever wrote these records of yours, I can assure you, it was not myself or my esteemed mentor."

Pausing to take a breath, Lucario quickly noted the facial expression of the champion's warrior; shocked, and bewildered. His face was one of contemplation, with inner turmoil being easily visible in his eyes as questions swirled around uncontrollably.

"My point is, whoever wrote those records were working with, at best, second hand accounts. They took what was a simple misunderstanding between us and the confused Tyranitars, one which actually ended with myself and Sir Aaron using our aura to transmit our good intentions to help calm their nerves and turned it into a propaganda piece where we were noble heroes fighting against monsters attacking the kingdom. I know not why this was done, but regardless, it is not true."

Standing up and dusting himself off, Lucario took a moment to gaze at the lingering Nihilego before turning back to finish off his train of thought.

"In essence, it is wise for us as warriors as well as advocates of peace, to believe only half of what you see, and nothing of which you hear."

"Well said. You truly exude the wisdom a warrior of your calibre should possess."

Turning to the new speaker, Lucario soon realised that everyone else in the room had stopped what they were doing to listen to his lesson, all eyes and ears fully focused on him. Even Noivern, the youngest member of their group, was giving his undivided attention to Lucario.

Cynthia, the one who had spoken, stepped forward.

"I'm going to apologise, I got distracted by the ruins and went on to give a tour instead of asking who you were. I've got a bit of a short attention span and these ruins are absolutely captivating. So may I ask, who are you, beyond being a student of Sir Aaron, and why are you here?"

Lucario simply nodded his understanding, clearly his throat to speak his purpose clearly.

"I am Lucario of Rota, student of Sir Aaron, defender of Cameron Palace, master of aura, and now one of the many champions of the Chosen One; Ash Ketchum."

Cynthia had been nodding along with Lucario's self-introduction but stopped suddenly as he finished.

"Wait, Ash Ketchum is the Chosen One?"

* * *

"This truly is a beautiful place. To think that this was almost the scene for a tragedy is bewildering." Absol thought aloud, taking in the scenery as they walked through the colourful meadows.

With Pikachu leading the way, they had begun their trek towards where he believed the Shaymin would be, and they could begin to formulate a plan of action from there. Pikachu reasoning, after being asked by a somewhat confused Espeon, was that there was at least one Shaymin here who knew Ash personally and was a Legendary that Ash had assisted in the past. Based on the fact that for the last few days they had been visited by various Legendaries who felt they owed a debt to Ash due to his inclination to save the godly Pokémon, and so had come bearing gifts. If this trend was true for all the Legendaries that Ash had helped, Shaymin would be on that list, and would be able to help them find a way to get to Ash.

Or that was the idea at least.

Regardless, even if they couldn't find the Shaymin, Absol was glad they were able to explore such a beautiful place. Maybe life with the Chosen One wouldn't be all disaster and peril after all.

Absol was so preoccupied with the amazing view, she didn't notice someone walk closer to her until they announced their presence.

" _So do you know the full story of what happened here? Pikachu has mentioned it, but I feel like there is a bit more to it than he lets on. And since he's neglected to tell me that his trainer was the Chosen One, that means he's basically telling me nothing and I can't help but feel frustrated."_

With Buizel beginning to openly chuckle from behind them, where he was walking and conversing with the young Snowy, Absol simply shook her head.

"I'm afraid not. I only hatched a few days ago and I'm still learning much about my father and trainer. It is an interesting life I now lead, but it is one I look forward to living."

Espeon simply stared straight ahead, only giving Absol the occasional sideward glance as they walked on. They remained in silence for a few moments, soaking up the scenery as they approached the edge of the lake. With their reflections being caught in the crystal-clear water, Espeon chose this moment to speak again.

" _So, you're only a few days old? And yet you simply exude power. A part of me isn't surprised, given who your father is, even if you are adopted. But still, I would have thought you'd still be getting used to the world, not throwing yourself into it."_

"True, but I'm not exactly a normal Pokémon, per say. I am, technically, a blessed Pokémon of Xerneas." Absol explained, turning to properly face and address Espeon, which prevented her from noticing a few unnatural ripples beginning to form on the water near their travelling party.

" _A blessed Pokémon of Xerneas?"_

"Indeed. I was one of six eggs chosen specifically for the Chosen One, and even before my consciousness formed, I knew what my mission was: to assist the Chosen One as best I can. All of the Pokémon hatched from these eggs will have this in their subconscious, and it is also why we are much more developed and stronger than normal Pokémon. We needed to be stronger to be more useful, and now we can. When my consciousness formed, and I first sensed how much of a disaster centre he was, I was convinced I was going to be nothing but a warrior, but now, I know better." Absol paused for a moment to gaze lovingly at Pikachu for a moment.

"Now, I am part of a family, one which cares for their own and for others. They may be terrifyingly strong, even by my standards placed by Xerneas herself, and more disaster prone than a hurricane, but they are a loving group, and I couldn't be happier."

Espeon smiled at this, looking upwards at the tall dark type before nodding contently.

" _It does sound like a good life."_

But as they were conversing, the water suddenly convulsed, a pillar of air shooting upwards out of it. As it shot into the air, it began to twist and pulse, pushing away all the water surrounding the pillar, revealing slightly the faint outline of a portal. The pillar of air then pulled at the party, sucking at them as they tried to dig their feet in. Despite their best efforts, the pillar successfully dragged them into the air, before returning to its origin, pulling the group with them through the opening and to the portal's origin.

As soon as the last of them were taken through the portal, it closed up, leaving no evidence of it having existed save for a few ripples pulsing through the surrounding water, before disappearing into nothing.

As the ripples disappeared, a green shape flew overhead in a hurry.

"Where is that last seed? I swear, I can't find anything when I need it. And I'm not giving my gift to Ash last, he certainly won't appreciate it then."

The small gratitude Pokémon continue to fly around, preparing their gift as best as possible, completely ignorant to the fact that a few familiar faces had been present just moments ago.

* * *

Ash was exhausted, the day's events beginning to catch up on him as his eyes began to droop.

He and the others had been riding for a few hours now, riding through many familiar forests and towns as they powered to get back to Ash's hometown of Pallet. The Tauros, being experts at long distance runs, were toughing through the gruelling run with a steadfast determination, eager to finish their multi-region marathon. The others were no better, with Anabel struggling to not throw up from travel sickness, the other Pokémon all in various states of exhaustion, and with Sophocles struggling to hold on and not fall off.

But honestly, that had been true ever since he mounted that Tauros. He wasn't the best rider.

But as Ash fought to keep his eyes open, a familiar and truly pleasant sight began to come into view as they reached the top of a nearby home.

"We're home." Ash muttered to himself, as he found himself in the same spot he would stand at with Pikachu when he returned home from travelling a region.

Thinking of his starter, Ash began to frown. He had been extremely lucky to have these Tauros, who were ingenuity to travel back to Pallet Town on their own initiative. Doing this had allowed them to be reunited with Sophocles, himself, and a decent number of his Pokémon. While this was a good start, there were still so many of his Pokémon spread around the world, with no way to find them.

Ash then looked forward, a steadfast and determined look in his eyes as he made a vow to himself.

"I swear I'll find you. All of you. We will be together again. Families should. There's not a force on this Earth that will stop us."

The lead Tauros, who had been Ash's stead in this journey, snorted in agreement, before Ash waved to the others who had stopped behind him.

"Come on guys! We're nearly there!"

And with that, he stormed forward, the last short portion of his journey about to end. A few minutes later, and he was standing in front of his childhood home.

Dismounting from his Tauros, and thanking him for doing such a good job, he turned to the others.

"Well, this is my house. It's not much, but its home and it couldn't be any better. Let's go say hi to my mum."

Just as he said this, the woman in question burst out of the door in a small sprint, wrapping Ash up in a crushing hug.

"Oh you made it! I knew you would, you're such a good boy like that. You wouldn't miss something like this if you could help it, and here you are. And these must be your friends," she rambled, before walking over to Anabel and Sophocles, "hi, you must be Ash's friends. I'm Delia, his mother, and please, while you're here, feel free to treat this like a second home. A friend of Ash is always welcome here.

She then spun on her feet and turned back to Ash.

"And before I forget Ash, your friend Iris was calling. She said she has some of your Pokémon with her, including your Charizard."

* * *

Hey everyone, TWoS here and I'm back with another upload.

Like I said, march has been very hectic for me, so I hadn't been able to do very much for this story, but I had a day off, so I managed to get this chapter together. More pieces are being put in play, including something I've been somewhat neglecting for a while now; the gifts.

While this part of the story with everyone being split up has been fun to write, and beneficial to the story and a lot of the characters, its time to return to what made this story so popular in the first place, and that was the legendary gifts. Suicune is in play and I'm sure most of you can figure out who else is getting involved and ready. As the groups begin to reunite and become streamlined, the legendaries will be becoming a major part of the story again. So yay!

If there is any legendary that you would like to see in the future, whether it'd be one with a gift, one who already gave a gift, or just more of a particular legendary, leave a review saying which one you'd like to see, and I'll see what I can do. If you also have any gift ideas, feel free to share them with me. I have a fair few planned, half a dozen roughly at the moment, but I'd love to hear what you guys can come up with.

Also, this story hit **1500** favourites in March and is already approaching 1600. That is **INSANE!** Thank you all so much for showing your support and thank you for making my story so popular. It's mental to imagine how many of you have read and liked this story, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you all. Please continue to show your support and leave reviews and such in the future, I always enjoy interacting with you.

Other than that, I'm done for this chapter, hope you enjoy it, and I'll see you in the next chapter – TWoS.


	29. Chapter 29

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 29**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Pikachu closed his eyes as he tumbled through the air, deciding to not trust his eyes as he was dragged through the portal.

After all the strange events and happenings that had occurred to him and Ash over the years, Pikachu was no longer surprised by stuff like this. Not really. He might look shocked and gasp as a physical response, but deep down he was used to it. He just rolled with it and did what needed to be done to get through it.

This portal was a good example of that; the portal had pulled him off his feet and to a new location, sending him flying through the air. Most would be completely blindsided by this, tumbling through the air helplessly. But Pikachu could name five different times this had happened to him, _at least._

So he knew how to deal with it.

First, you have to deal with the fact you're in the air with no real bearing of which way is up. Being spun around in the air tends to do that, so you need to fall back on something more reliable. For Pikachu, that was his electricity. From his cheeks, he could send out small bursts of electricity, and track them as they shoot out from him. Invisible to the naked eye, but capable of bouncing off physical objects, these small static outlets allowed Pikachu to map out his surroundings mentally.

Which meant he knew where the ground was.

Sensing its fast approach, Pikachu flipped his weight forward, using his tail as a ballast to counteract his momentum, and landed solidly on the ground. With both feet planted firmly on the floor, he opened his eyes to gauge how his companions had dealt with the portal.

Buizel, unsurprisingly, had instantly fired off an Aqua Jet, taking immediate command of his velocity to steer himself safely to the ground. Absol, with a surprising amount of grace, landed on her feet with no real effort, her body spinning seamlessly so she landed paws first. And on her back, holding on for dear life, was little Snowy, who had a rather green tint to her usually pale white muzzle.

And then Espeon landed. **Hard.**

Which was too much for Buizel.

"Hahaha! Look at the amateur, landing on her face. I bet she's never even _been_ through a portal before."

Espeon glared at Buizel as she picked herself up, with Pikachu offering a paw to help her up, which she graciously took. Pikachu could tell that she was biting her tongue, insults forming in her mind and bleeding through her eyes as she glared at him.

Pikachu could only smile at her briefly, before his surroundings caught his eye. Behind Espeon, was a single weathered building, a traditional house not dissimilar to Ash's home in Pallet Town. What made it eye catching was the fact that, connected to its roof, was an identical house, looking like it was balancing upside-down on top of the first building. And both the buildings were, for lack of a better word, distorted. The windows, which were clearly meant to be square or rectangular, had warped edges and were beginning to curve in the middle. The paint on the walls seemed to be dripping off, yet none of it looked wet, somehow appearing both flaky and watery in such a way that it made Pikachu's head hurt.

If that wasn't strange enough, just behind the building, Pikachu could see what appeared to be a cliff-edge, leading to a dark abyss. And barely visible in the distance, were several islands, floating aimlessly about, with some rotating around large crystalline structures which formed large areas of the space they were in.

While Pikachu examined these, racking his memory as to what bizarre and fantastical adventures he'd been on included crystalline structures (which again, was a fair few), a large shadow began to cover the area he and the others were standing in, blocking out their light. As the fur on Pikachu's back began to stand up, Pikachu noticed the shadow growing around him, his eyes darting to the others to see if they noticed it, but they were too preoccupied talking about what had just happened to them to notice it.

Taking his gaze back to the shadow, he noticed that along with the massive shape which was obscuring the local light had six tentacle-shaped tendrils which jut out from the main shape which floated ominously. There were also several smaller spike-like shadows sticking out lower down the body of whatever was behind them.

Pikachu took a deep breath before slowly turning around, dragging his feet as he craned his neck up to look at the shape.

And looking right back at him were a pair of burning blood red eyes.

Floating there in all the ominous glory that such a large and terrifying creature could summon, was Giratina, the Renegade Pokémon; a member of the Creation Trio, the representation of antimatter, and the ruler of the Reverse World.

Which calmed Pikachu immensely.

"Oh, it's you Giratina. Thank Arceus, I was worried it was an Ultra Beast or someone else who wanted to pick a fight," Pikachu sighed, catching the attention of the other Pokémon with him.

And Espeon did not react as calmly as Pikachu did.

" _AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

The sudden scream and panic from the psychic type caused everyone, even Giratina, to jump in surprise. Pikachu, quickly recovering from his shock, ran over to Espeon and slapped his paw over her mouth and blocking out her screaming as best as he can.

"Espeon, I know this looks bad, but do me a favour and try to stay calm. I'll explain properly later, but for now, just trust me. Please?"

Espeon looked at Pikachu, and then at Giratina, and then at the other Pokémon, who were mostly calm (apart from Snowy, who was hiding behind Absol's legs), and back at Pikachu. Despite every survival instinct in her being screaming to run for her life, and her legs practically twitching in agreeance, she nodded, taking long and deep breaths as Pikachu removed his paw.

Content, Pikachu spun around on his feet back towards Giratina, giving the large Ghost-Dragon type his undivided attention.

"So… Giratina… what can I help you with?"

Giratina hovered there for a moment, his gaze completely focused on Pikachu but his focus elsewhere, seemingly looking for the right words. After a brief pause, he finally spoke.

" **Pikachu, lead Chosen Pokémon of the Ash Ketchum, the Chosen One and saviour of this world; I bid you welcome,"** Giratina greeted, using three of his tendril like wings to make a sweeping bow like gesture before carrying on, **"I apologise for the methods in which I summoned you. As I am sure you are fully aware of at this point, there are forces at play which threaten not only Ash himself, but the balance of the world."**

"I assume you're talking about the Ultra Beasts?" Pikachu asked, getting a solemn nod from the Legendary as he rubbed his temples, "And I assume you can't tell us anything about them either? You Legendaries haven't been very forthcoming with information today."

" **I'm afraid not. While I would delight in sharing this crucial information with you, I dare not cross Arceus in this matter. My actions already are against her wishes, and I do not intend to further stoke her ire."**

Everyone shared a look of confusion at this comment but said nothing so Giratina could continue.

" **Arceus forbids us from speaking about the Ultra Beasts, and while she has granted us the privilege to bestow gifts onto Ash, we were instructed to focus on driving his attention elsewhere. Be it items of power in battle, blessings upon the worthy, or anything which requires his focus; they were approved by Arceus. Even this Absol, who I noticed you have adopted as your pup; congratulations, is a product to drive his attention astray."**

Pikachu frowned at this, as did the others, with Absol especially taking offence at this, causing her to step forward.

"Apologies, great Giratina, but I'm afraid you're mistaken. I was bestowed onto the Chosen One by Xerneas, and from the moment she decided to do so, I was to be a warrior for him. My skills and powers have been enhanced by her blessing and if anything, she was giving him more combatants to fight against the Ultra Beasts with. How would I draw his attention away?"

Giratina chuckled, a deep reverberating sound which resonated in the smaller Pokémon's heads as it echoed out, before shaking his head with a seemingly sad look on his face.

" **I'm afraid it only** _ **seems**_ **like that. But you forget; Ash is a trainer at heart. He** _ **lives**_ **for competition and battle. The reason you are strong is because, while he does not discriminate against it, he does hold a preference for battlers. He is kind hearted enough to accept all, but he does resonate more with Pokémon who share his aspiration as a battler. You were engineered to resonate with him; nothing more."**

Absol blinked at this, her breathing becoming laboured as she digested this information. Unperturbed by this, Giratina carried on with his explanation.

" **Xerneas, and Arceus both, understand that Ash is a caring person, and will do whatever is necessary to care for others. Giving him a single egg, which is on the verge of hatching would do a substantial job: it would hatch a day or two after being rewarded to him, and the new-born Pokémon would claim his attention. An entire team's worth of Pokémon would, in theory, take so much of his attention that the actions of the Ultra Beast could pass him by. Especially given his dense nature, no offence."**

"None taken," Pikachu said, before waving his hand in a 'carry-on' type of gesture.

" **Now please don't misunderstand, these actions aren't born of maliciousness. Or not intentional maliciousness, at the very least. While Arceus doesn't want Ash involved with the Ultra Beasts, she does care. These items are still rewards, hence why they have been beneficial to him, especially against the Ultra Beasts. Which lead on to my current actions."**

Giratina then flexed one his claw like appendages, and trails of light began to ebb and flow around it, forming a small crystal, no bigger than a pearl, with a small ribbon which looked like it was part of Giratina's ghostly wings tied around it. With the item forged, Giratina willed forward, sending it floating towards Pikachu's waiting hands.

" **This, this is my gift for Ash, but for now, I entrust it to you. For too long, Ash and your fellow Pokémon have been forced onto the back foot, unable to act with initiative. While I do not believe the Ultra Beasts will act again so soon, you must act swiftly, which is why I grant you, and all those who fight under Ash's banner are granted access to my home. You can open up portals here and travel to any location you are familiar with swiftly, which should allow you to quickly undo the chaos Hoopa has befallen you."**

Pikachu weighed the crystal in his paws carefully, before holding it out in front of him slightly, which caused the crystal to vibrate, creating ripples which opened a large portal, revealing the Pokémon school in Alola.

" **Fair warning though, while you can use this to try and reunite your family, I cannot tell you exactly where they are. It took me several hours just to find you, and I wasn't even looking for you specifically. So, with that in mind, I wish you luck, and bid you farewell."**

Finished with his speech, Giratina turned to float away, allowing the group to leave contently, but was stopped by a shout.

"Wait just a second!"

Turning around, he was surprised to see Pikachu glaring at him with his arms crossed, tapping his foot repeatedly in annoyance. Curious, Giratina turned back around to address the small mouse Pokémon.

" **What troubles you?"**

"You said that your actions are against Arceus' wishes. Why?"

Giratina smirked to himself, his crown covered mouth lifting upwards as he regarded the electric type. This was exactly why he liked about Ash and his Pokémon: guts.

" **Arceus commanded us to bestow gifts on Ash which consumed his attention, driving it away from the Ultra Beast problem. While these gifts are beneficial to you regardless, they are not meant to directly help with your current objective. I, on the other hand, will not adhere to this restriction. This tool, is exactly that; a tool to help combat against the Ultra Beast problem. I cannot say anymore, though I deeply wish to. Just know that I will be working in the background to help you as much as I can."**

Satisfied with this, Pikachu nodded in contemplation, before saying farewell and leading his group through the portal.

With the first step of his plan in play, Giratina turned and flew off across the Reverse World. Arceus may be willing to try and drive Ash away, but if anyone could solve the problem of the Ultra Beasts, either through conquest or peace, it was the Chosen One. And Giratina was going to make sure that Ash got this opportunity.

Everything depended on it.

* * *

Torracat gingerly approached the next door, pressing his body against the wall as he waited for the others to catch up. He was followed shortly by Lugia, who draped a wing over him as she eyed the door suspiciously. Squirtle, who was now on the back of Garchomp and orchestrating their moves like a General, gestured to the pad above them as Garchomp walked up to the wall on the other side of the door.

"Torracat, get the door. Garchomp, Lugia, get ready to storm the room. We're going in."

Nodding his consent, Torracat focused his tail and began slapping the controls with it. It took a few attempts, but the door whooshed open with a small gust of wind, allowing Garchomp to charge straight into the room, shortly followed by Lugia.

A few blasts rang out from inside the room, accompanied by the screams of the workers inside. As Torracat rounded around the corner, the action was already done, with several of the Aether Foundation employees on the floor groaning in pain.

The room in question, a small lab which led to a larger room which was sealed behind another pair of doors, stank of disinfectant, which Torracat could tell was coming from the tools on the nearby table. Knowing where this room led, the presence of those tools sent a shiver down Torracat's spine.

Squirtle, nodding with a sadistic grin atop Garchomp, pulled out a radio he had stolen from a guard they knocked out earlier and began talking into it.

"Emboar, are you and Seismitoad having any luck finding anything about Ash? We can't wait around."

Silence greeted him for a moment, before the radio cackled to life and delivered a response.

"Nothing. But in hindsight, Seismitoad and I don't exactly have the hands to use computers. We're gonna bail and head to the docks now before we're caught. What about you? Have you got him?"

Squirtle's looked sobered, his eye hardening as he turned towards the door which led to their destination.

"We're about to get him now. We'll head to the docks as soon as we have him. Don't wait up."

With that acting as his cue, Garchomp stepped up to the door, slamming his claws into it. Using his sheer size and strength, he pried the doors open, leaving enough space for Torracat, Lugia, and Squirtle to climb through before slipping in himself, causing the door to slam shut behind him with a large shunt.

The room they had just entered was, in essence, similar to the previous one. A laboratory which was simply designed to allow scientists to experiment and study in peace. However, unlike the previous room, an unsettling feeling gripped at their hearts, setting their teeth on edge and causing their hairs to stand up all over their body. Because while architecturally this room was similar to the prior one, what was being done here was much more sinister.

There, strapped to a machine which looked like it belonged in a horror movie, was Hoopa. His rings had been ripped from his grasp and were tied down with cables to various tables. With his source of power ripped from him, Hoopa was helpless, his limbs and body being lashed together with wires and chains. Marks and bruises covered his skin from where he had struggled and tried to escape and humming ominously in the background where various electric prods which had undoubtably been used on the playful Legendary.

Hoopa himself was simply hanging there, any energy or life he had displayed when they last saw him was gone, leaving only a tired, beaten, and broken soul in the machine, being held up solely by his limbs.

Disgusted by the sight, Squirtle pulled out his glasses, throwing them on with a grim resolve. As they fell into place, Torracat could have sworn he saw tears forming in the corner of his eyes.

"Cut him down Garchomp." He ordered quietly, which Garchomp did without complaint or resistance. He walked steadily toward Hoopa and slashed through the chains as calmly as he could, gently easing the Legendary down.

Lugia, who was by this point full-on crying, walked over to Garchomp, and allowed him to place Hoopa on her back, taking great care not to jostle him too much as she bore his weight.

With those three focusing on Hoopa himself, Torracat quickly darted to the tables, slashing at the cables pinning them down. As soon as they could move, the rings rocketed off the table, connecting themselves to Hoopa's limbs in a fluid movement. With the rings back with their rightful owner, they began to make their way back to the door they came through.

But before they could get there, a different door opened up, and standing there was the one woman they wanted to avoid.

"Well, you're just as troublesome as the stories make out. And here I thought the Chosen One was overrated."

Everyone froze as Lusamine strutted into the room, nobody daring to move a muscle as she closed in on them.

"You know, when my researchers brought me information about this… _Chosen One,_ I was honestly unimpressed. A prophesised champion who saves the day repeatedly? Sounds like a character from a child's cartoon," Lusamine started, her eyes and attention never leaving the small group as she stalked closer to them, "and then my team managed to identify the Chosen One; a teenage trainer from a small town nobody cares about. I was honestly worried that my eyes were going to roll out of my skull. So, imagine my surprise when I start reading his accomplishments."

"A competent trainer, with a large variety of accomplishments to his name. And that's just stuff which is readily available. For example, did you know that there is a group of people, specifically dedicated to covering up your trainer's involvement with Legendaries? They call themselves 'The ICOP Agency', and they work with the government to cover up his actions, so people don't know about a lot of what he does. The only reason I found out is because I have a multi-million-dollar organisation and multiple backdoors in the government."

Squirtle and Torracat glanced at each other briefly, the same questioning look on their faces before they turned back to the crazy woman approaching them. Squirtle, spotting something out of the corner of his eye, began inching away from the group, bit by bit.

"And now, my precious Ultra Beasts seemed to have taken an interest in your trainer. I don't know whether it's because he's the Chosen One or if something else is at play, but it doesn't matter. I will find out, and once I do, I will **have** my Ultra Beasts. Even if that means I have to use you."

"SURPRISE!"

With his shout, Squirtle grabbed and threw a metal box, smacking Lusamine straight in the head, knocking her out instantly and causing her to drop unconscious to the floor, an insane smile stuck on her face.

"What did you do!?" Torracat yelled, as alarms began to ring and drown out everything else.

"I improvised! We need to get out of here and she was in the way. So, I dealt with her."

Sparing her a quick look, Torracat shook his head and broke into a sprint.

"Just run! Get to the dock!"

And so they broke into a sprint, leaving the unconscious President to be discovered by the security guards which ran in moments later.

* * *

Tapu Koko swore he could literally feel his blood pressure rising. His veins felt like they were going to burst and rupture under his skin.

Standing in front of him, having been intercepted and brought to him by the other Tapus, were five Genesects, the lead one of them being a shining blood red, all of whom were shuffling on the spot nervously in the Ruins of Conflict as the other Tapus circled them.

Taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, and to hopefully prepare his blood pressure for the stress that was sure to come, he finally spoke.

"So, let me get this straight," he started, his voice causing the near-extinct Legendaries to jump, "Arceus summoned you to do a task for her, a task which she never actually told you what it would entail because she is an elusive and deceptive being. Before you could be informed of your summoned task, you were informed of Hoopa's involvement with the Chosen One and how he had sent the Chosen One and his Pokémon, across the globe with no destination or goal in mind, except for chaos."

Tapu Koko paused for a moment, giving the Genesect time to nod in clarification.

"That checks out, Hoopa is an idiot." Tapu Koko agreed, his blood pressure lowering somewhat. While Hoopa's actions had infuriated him at first, he had accepted this as a reality fairly quickly. As least the destruction that the Chosen One was drawing to himself at the moment would be taken elsewhere.

"Carrying on from there, Arceus instead decided to use your talents to try and track down the Chosen One before the Ultra Beasts find him, sending you across the globe in an elaborate wild goose chase to find the most trouble-drawing individual I've ever had to interact with in my long and problem filled life. With no leads or ideas on where to go, you decide to come here, to Alola, where he was last seen in order to try and find some semblance of a clue. Is that correct?"

Another round of nervous nods from the give Genesect, which caused Tapu Koko to close his eyes. After a brief moment of silence, Tapu Koko flew upwards to his nest and grabbed a small bag, containing the several Z Crystals he was planning on giving to Ash. He then floated back down to the Genesect with a resolute look on his face.

"Right then, we're joining in. We need to find the Chosen One quickly. So, here's the plan: myself, Tapu Lele, and two of you will form one group, and scour Alola for any sign of him or his Pokémon. The others will form the second group and travel to the homes of Legendaries which haven't interacted with him yet. Lugia of Shamouti Island, Rayquaza, Celebi of Arborville, any of them. Once my group is done with Alola, we'll check his home in Pallet Town. Hopefully **one** of those will give us a decent lead to find the child."

The Genesect looked shocked for a moment, before nodding in agreement before three of the regular Genesect broke off from their leader to stand with Tapu Fili and Bulu. The red Genesect and the remaining normal Genesect walked over to Tapu Koko, waiting for his go.

"Let's find this trouble maker before they do."

And with that, the nine Legendaries shot up into the air, the two groups breaking off and jetting off in different directions; the search for the astray Chosen One had begun.

* * *

Ash threw himself onto his bed, the day catching up to him as he rested his head on his pillow.

After getting back home, he had found that the baby shower was beginning to wind down. Two of his Professor figures had been discussing some theory about the Legendaries in the corner with cups of tea, the topic most likely having been prompted by Mew's presence. Meganium, in a surprising display of restraint, had only _slightly_ flattened Ash as she greeted him, which Ash contributed more to her not being completely used to her new size.

Her Ralts, who at first was really shy and timid around Ash, had simply hid behind her leg, but she began to open up when Mawile made her presence known. Mew was, surprisingly, nowhere to be seen, having apparently made a new friend and was busy playing with them. But honestly, Ash was too tired, his arms hanging limply by his side as he said hello to all of his Pokémon.

He spent a good ten minutes making sure everyone was alright, and then spent another twenty minutes getting the Pokémon that were with him checked over medically and giving them some bowls of food. After that was done, he introduced Anabel to his mother, and retreated to his room.

Which was where he was currently trying not to completely doze off.

He still needed to call Iris, who had apparently called earlier that day to tell his mum that some of his Pokémon were currently in Unova with her. Charizard, Eevee, Krookodile, Muk, and Dewott were all currently atop Twist Mountain with her, with Iris leaving additional comments about how Ash was an idiot for allowing his Pokémon to somehow get from Alola to Unova.

Which was a fair comment.

But Ash was too tired. He had dealt with multiple Legendaries today, one of whom allowed him to catch them, another hatching from one of his eggs. Four other eggs out of the six had hatched as well, with the last egg's fate being unknown since he didn't know where it, or Bulbasaur, the current guardian of that egg, were in the world.

Speaking of his two new Legendaries (which was a statement that Ash never thought he would say about himself), he had no idea where they were either. Azelf he wasn't too worried about; she was an extremely old, wise, and powerful Legendary for her size. She certainly could look after herself if she got into trouble. Lugia, on the other hand, wasn't even a day old, and had no real battle experience outside of the Ultra Beast attack earlier. Ash could only hope that Litten was with her, since Lugia had taken a shine to him earlier that day.

A faint hum started outside his door, before it started to open up, causing Ash to lift his head to look at whoever was walking in.

To his surprise, walking into his room, was an identical version of himself, smiling back at him. The only distinguishable difference between him and the new Ash was the fact that this other Ash was wearing clothes he hadn't worn for several years. Not since he was in Johto in fact…

Then it clicked in his mind what was happening.

"Latios?"

Smiling at him, Latios nodded at him before sitting down on his bed, causing Ash to pick himself up.

" _You like my new disguise? I never really used this ability before, not like Latias did. When I did use it, I usually went as Lorenzo. But I felt that it was time for an update."_

Ash smiled at him, looking over his Latios' disguise again. It was extremely uncanny how similar he was, even getting details such as the marks on his cheek right.

He was only missing _one_ thing.

"Hold on a sec Latios." Ash said, dragging himself off of his bed and toward his draws, opening one of them and shifting through it. He then pulled out a hat, the same hat he wore throughout Sinnoh, and brought it over to Latios.

"Can't go walking around looking like me without a hat. It completes the outfit." Ash said with a smile, placing the hat on Latios' head.

Latios smiled back at him, adjusting the hat somewhat before his body became coated in a bright glow, beginning to change and distort back to his usual form. And when the glow faded, still positioned firmly on his head, in-between his head fins, was his hat.

" _I think I can get used to this."_

Ash smiled, but then the smile began to fade as his legs began to tremble, shaking as they struggled to support his weight. Ash quickly stepped toward his bed, his legs giving out just as he came in range of his bed. As his eyes shut, Ash could feel a wave of warmth wash over him, giving him a strong sense of satisfaction and contentment as he hit the mattress.

Which caused his eyes to shoot open again.

"What was that?"

Latios, who watched the display with a small smile, like an older brother watching their younger brother discover something cool for the first time.

" _Oh, that's probably the empathetic sense that was bestowed onto you by Mespirit. Azelf told me about it earlier. You're probably just sensing everyone's emotion."_

Ash stared blankly at him as best as he could, not even having the energy to properly lift his head.

"You know, I completely forgot about that. It honestly felt like it happened months ago after what's happened today."

* * *

Hey everyone, TWoS here and I'm back again.

This chapter was meant to come out a while ago, but I really struggled with it for some reason. But, despite that, I'm quite happy with this chapter. As I promised, another gift has been given, but not to Ash directly. I had this idea for Giratina's gift for a while now but felt it would be more helpful in Pikachu's hands then Ash's for now. It'll help speed up everyone being reunited if there are multiple groups working on bringing everyone together. So, this worked out quite nicely.

I'm also bringing back Tapu Koko to the main story. He hasn't been that involved in the story for a while and I decided to change that. He'll give the story some more momentum as more events happen and begin to pay off in the future.

But overall, this was just a nice chapter to do. Lots of elements I wanted to explore in this story I was able to do here, and it was just fun to write. I didn't even realise how long the Giratina segment was until I was getting this chapter ready for uploading. But yeah, I enjoyed it.

As always, please leave some reviews on this chapter, I always enjoy hearing from you lot. Regardless of whether it's your opinion on this chapter, any criticisms you may have, any Legendaries or characters you want to appear, any gift ideas you may have, or literally anything: I just like interacting with you guys.

Anyway, that's all from me for this chapter, thank you for the continued support and I'll see you in the next chapter – TWoS.


	30. Chapter 30

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 30**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Giratina flew through the Reverse World with all the speed his Origin form could muster, gracefully gliding through the floating islands and structural crystals which maintained balance between the Reverse World and the main dimension. He swerved between these obstacles with a practiced ease, not having to pay them any attention as he searched for the correct viewpoint, snaking through everything through nothing more than muscle memory.

He screeched to a halt as he reached one of the viewpoints he wanted to check, summoning his power to peer through a reflective surface. A small hole appeared in front of him, revealing a number of stone structures to create three shrine-like buildings which circled around another shrine. The area was surrounded by hibiscus flowers, which flowed in a gentle breeze.

Watching over the flowers, standing stoically at the edge of the shrine like area, was a Slowking, who, upon noticing the Renegade Pokémon's gaze was upon him, turned around to address him.

"My Lord Giratina, it is a pleasure. Though I'm afraid I must disappoint you: The Chosen One is not here."

Giratina cursed under his breath, his frustration mounting as he was running out of places that he knew were related to Ash. He was going to have to start popping on his companions at this rate: an experience which was bound to be interesting for everyone involved. Nodding his thanks to Slowking, he closed the portal and began making his way to another viewpoint.

But as he floated away, his thoughts began to wander.

'How did Slowking know what I was there for?' he mused, before shrugging it off. Lugia's shrine guardian was always a peculiar case, but he was reliable and always seemed to know what was going on; a testament to his heighted psychic ability, no doubt. It was more surprising that he could read Giratina's mind at all, or maybe he was just becoming predictable in his old age.

He was so lost in his thoughts, that he never noticed his environment change, as he flew into a portal, not of his own making, and when he noticed his new surroundings, he began to realise where he was.

Surrounding him now were ornate pillars that seemed to stretch onward forward, but actually simply disappearing in what was, for this place at least, a casually distortion in the fabric of reality. The room was filled to the brim with marvellous and priceless, to a human market at least, statues and paintings, either of powerful and influential Pokémon figures or depictions of crucial events in the history of the universe.

This was a place Giratina was all too familiar with, and a place where he _really_ didn't want to be.

Slowing to a halt, Giratina sighed to himself, closing his eyes and doing his best to reign in his temper. Whatever the reason was for this new development, he needed to approach it calmly. It wouldn't work in his favour if he approached it differently.

Feeling somewhat confident that he had his temper under control, he spoke.

" **You know, it is a great insult to both myself and the dimension I call my home, that you would so casually pull me from it to address me. A simple summons would have sufficed."**

There was no response at first, which eased Giratina. No outburst, which meant that she was in a more… manageable mood than usual. After a pregnant pause, he finally got a response.

" **I am aware of that, and a part of me does indeed feel guilty over this. But I am more concerned with the fact that one of the Creation Trio, my first children and the ones I entrusted the balance of the universe to, is conspiring against me."**

Giratina chuckled dryly to himself, finally turning around to actually face the one who forcefully brought him here.

Standing there, her eyes level and her mouth pressed into a thin line, was the one Giratina owed his creation to and had a famously dangerous temper, was his mother: Arceus.

She starred at Giratina for a long moment, seemingly trying to find any crack in Giratina's shell. Ignoring this, Giratina simply responded in kind.

" **I think 'conspiring' is a rather strong and unnecessary word for my actions. I am simply doing what you instructed; I passed on a gift for the Chosen One. It may not have been directly given to him, but it was passed to his most trusted ally; his starter Pikachu. I am confident they use it well, reuniting their separated family and undoing the impulsive actions of Hoopa."**

Arceus had no visible reaction, or at least, not one that most could see. But Giratina had been on the receiving end of Arceus' silent fury before, and knew all the signs: the jewels in her golden wheel, a focusing harness for her immense power, were shifting colours ever so subtly; her right hoof was pressing down _just_ strong enough to cause the tiles beneath to splinter slightly; and her usual green eyes were beginning to turn the same colour as her blood red pupils, not completely, but steadily.

She was absolutely **furious.**

But she restrained herself for the moment, instead just squinting at Giratina with the slightest hint of murderous intent.

" **Is that so?"** She asked with a hint of amusement, before it bled away into worn frustration, **"then would you care to explain why you have primed said Pikachu for combat against the Ultra Beasts instead of diverting their attention away from them? Like. I. Instructed?"**

Giratina couldn't help but feel a shiver pass through his long, armoured covered spine. He could practically feel Arceus grind her teeth together, and the frustration that was noticeable on the surface was nothing compared to what Giratina knew was buried within. Out of reflex, and possibly self-preservation, he began to ever subtly shift his wings, making them thicker and denser, to act as a shield if the need arose.

Keeping his best poker face up, he shrugged at the accusation.

" **I gave him the means to travel through my dimension, nothing more. He can use it to freely travel to places of which he has been before. If anything, I have given him the perfect tool to satisfy any need of nostalgia he may have."**

Arceus merely rolled her eyes at his.

" **Yes, and also to allow him to mobilise against any threat that may arise; giving the perfect means to jump straight into the front line of any conflict that arises."**

Beads of sweat began to form on Giratina's golden crown, and a lump formed in his throat. Swallowing it down, he tried acting innocent.

" **The thought never crossed my mind."**

To no success.

Arceus then exploded, beams of energy blasting out of her harness toward Giratina. On nothing but reflex alone, Giratina managed to bring his wings around to form a shield, partially absorbing the blow. But even still, the force was enough to send Giratina flying back, sending him crashing through several statues before slamming into the wall.

" **DON'T TEST MY PATIENCE! YOU HAVE DEFIED MY DIRECT ORDERS AND HAVE IMPLICATED THE CHOSEN ONE IN A CONFLICT OF WHICH HE HAD NO STAKE! YOU'VE JEOPRODISED EVERYTHING!"**

She followed with another blast, this time hitting Giratina head on, causing him to burrow into the floor from the sheer force of the blast. Arceus paused after this, taking a few deep breaths before speaking again, in a somewhat calmer tone.

" **You gave Ash, ASH of all people, a tool which generals would slaughter millions just to be able to use it temporarily. And you did it, because you, as much as I loathe to admit, perfectly understand the implications of this tool and what benefits it gives to the boy. So, I'm going to ask you only once: WHY?"**

Giratina, hovering up from his crater, his armour blackened and dented, managed to catch his breath for long enough to speak, all while staring Arceus levelling in her eyes.

" **Fine, you want to know? It's because, despite your power, your influence, and your command over us; you fail to understand one thing. There is nothing you can do to prevent Ash from getting involved in this. He draws this kind of trouble towards himself. This entire situation we're currently in, he has been nothing but passive and reactive. Need I remind you that he was on holiday in the Alola region when this entire debacle started?"**

Arceus said nothing, but Giratina could tell she was mentally processing this information at a speed and level which would make Metagross and Alakazam's alike seem like simpletons, allowing Giratina to carry on.

" **You may not have told the majority of the Legendaries the reason why you chose NOW to reward Ash, but we both know the Ultra Beasts have been a brewing threat for centuries. They were going to become active in Ash's lifetime, it was inevitable. And as history has now proven, the first thing they did was GUN for Ash."**

" **They attacked him, implication immediately. An action you cannot blame on any Legendary in this pantheon. And from that moment on, which is being generous knowing both how the Ultra Beasts AND Ash think and act, he was involved. Or have you forgotten what the Ultra Beasts have been doing; something you neglected to inform us off, if I may add."**

Arceus frowned at this, tilting her head somewhat as Giratina simply scoffed at her reaction.

" **The attacks on his companions? Their amassing force? Their pre-emptive strike on Ash? Or how about the literal** _ **army**_ **of the damnable creatures which tried to wipe Ash and his collection of powerful champions of the face of this world? You neglected to tell myself, or either of my brothers, about this. In fact, only a select amount of Legendaries** _ **were**_ **informed. And these were the ones who you commissioned to act on your behalf. And how is Mewtwo, the Genesect, and even little Hoopa dealing with this situation?"**

Arceus, in a surprise show of embarrassment, dipped her head down, but never breaking eye contact.

" **This situation has turned into a disaster. The only consolation is that, due to the annoyance that is Hoopa's lack of impulse control, the attack on Ash failed. The Ultra Beast army was badly wounded in their attempt and will likely back off to regroup. Which is why I did what I've done. So, if I try to do what is within my power to try and save him, someone who has saved the** _ **both**_ **of us, then you'll forgive me if I ignore certain orders."**

And with that, Giratina opened up a portal to the Reverse World, where he could heal and recover before carrying on with what he was doing. He prepared to fly through, but stopped, turning back toward Arceus.

" **And for the record: I don't think you're doing this out of arrogance. I know you better than that. You do care, especially about him. And I agree completely. But you understand, Ash is a force of nature we can't control. We've never been able to, not since he finished his task at Shamouti. If there is a situation where he can help save someone, anyone, then there is little that even we can do to stop him. It's his most frustrating yet endearing quality."** Arceus nodded, more to herself than to Giratina, but he glossed over that. **"Short of actually removing his ability to act, he** _ **will**_ **act. So why impede him? Think that over."**

Having said his piece, Giratina left, the portal quickly closed, leaving Arceus alone in the rubble of several destroyed statues and the crater where Giratina had lain just moments ago. She stood there, silently contemplating everything that had just happened, and the implication of these events.

Needing some time to reflect, she allowed some of her energy to flow through her, undoing the damaged she caused before she opened a separate portal.

She needed time to think, and to reflect. And more importantly, she needed to discuss these thoughts with someone whose opinion she trusted.

So, she went to go see an old friend.

* * *

Pikachu stepped out onto the familiar sandy floor of the yard outside the Pokémon school, the sand irritating his fur and the warm sun beaming down on him. It felt as if he was back on holiday, even though that situation couldn't be further than the truth.

Nonetheless, being back in somewhere a bit more familiar was reassuring, and he allowed himself to breath in the clear air once more.

Beside him, his companions were doing the same, the tension that being in the Reverse World had left in their bodies slowly fading away. Especially for Espeon and Absol, the simpler surroundings doing wonders for the pair of them.

Pikachu smiled sadly to himself, knowing that for the both of them, this experience was extremely taxing. Espeon's reaction to Giratina being a prime example; Giratina was a scary looking and powerful Legendary. Sure, maybe he and Giratina were personally on good terms, but that didn't mean everyone was used to such situations.

And young Absol was so new to _everything_ , and already she has experienced more strange and unusual occurrences in her twenty-odd hours of existence than most Pokémon do in a lifetime. And while there wasn't anything he could do about that, his and Ash's life for the past five years had been like that, he couldn't help but feel guilty.

His musings were interrupted, when what felt like a literal tank crashed into the ground in front of them.

A dust cloud washed over the group, temporarily blinding them, and by the time the dust had cleared, they had been surrounded.

"Alola. How peculiar that we might find you here."

Pikachu cringed at the sound of this voice, turning around to see the cross face of Tapu Koko.

"Heeeyyy," Pikachu greeted gingerly, as he briefly noted who was surrounding him. To his left was Tapu Lele, who simply waved at him as she hovered there. To his back and right were, rather surprisingly, a pair of Genesect. What a pair of Genesect were doing in Alola following a pair of Tapus, Pikachu wouldn't know.

More important point was, they were cornered. By a bunch of less than pleased looking Legendaries no less.

"Would you care to explain what occurred here earlier today, and why we found the beach where you were staying to be completed devastated?" Tapu Koko asked in an almost humorous deadpan, which made Pikachu more nervous than if he had been immensely angry.

Pikachu chuckled somewhat, throwing his paws up into the air, one of which was still holding on to the Portal Crystal that Giratina had given them.

"Well, that's a funny story actually. But, we were attacked, if you can believe it. For no reason as well, or at least that we know of. Ash hasn't antagonised some ancient Alolan deity without knowing about it, has he?"

Tapu Koko briefly considered this, before his attention was drawn to the pair of Genesect. They, for some reason, had frozen in place, their eyes completely locked onto the crystal in Pikachu's hand. They starred blankly at it for a moment, before their eyes began to glow a dark red.

Like a loaded spring being released, they launched forward, their claws clamouring for the crystal in Pikachu's claws. The one to Pikachu's right, the closer of the two, almost managed to touch the gem, before Absol slammed a Night Slash into the Bug and Steel type's side, knocking him away long enough for the others to collect their bearings.

Buizel, eager for a fight, instantly threw himself at the other one, hitting him point blank with an Aqua Jet. This time, the Legendary was ready, and with both of his claws crossed atop each other, slammed Buizel into the ground. Espeon, despite her annoyance at Buizel's previous actions, was able to quickly knock him away from Buizel, forcing the Genesect to fall back.

The first Genesect, having recovered, charged a blast in its cannon and fired it point blank, almost hitting Absol if not for Pikachu knocking her aside with his own body. The shot flew past the both of them, hitting an unsuspecting and shocked Tapu Lele, smashing her into a nearby wall. Tapu Koko, in a panic, flew after his fellow guardian to check on her condition.

Feeling his temper rise, Pikachu began channelling electricity through his cheeks. Yellow lightning began to spark off his body, creating an aura of cackling power. But as the Genesect charged up another shot, Pikachu pushed his power… a little bit further.

The stripes on his back began to turn from their normal black to a vibrant blue, and the electric energy surrounding him beginning to take more qualities of a plasma energy as he began to hum with power. Just as the Genesect fired his second shot, Pikachu roared out at the top of his lungs.

"FUSION BOLT!"

And with that shout, a bolt of energy bigger than Pikachu himself fired out, barrelling through the cannon blast as if it didn't exist and hitting the Genesect with the power of a contained nuclear blast.

Who was standing about twenty feet away from them.

The resulting blast rocked the entire school to its foundations, sending everyone flying as it blasted the Genesect unconscious with ease. His unconscious form was sent flying, crashing through the school's outer wall.

And kept going.

Pikachu, the only one unaffected by the blast, took this moment to take control of the situation. He held up the crystal, summoning another portal, before darting to Snowy, who had been sent flying by the dust cloud. He grabbed her, securing her in his arms, before shouting out for the others.

"Everyone! In the portal!"

Pushing themselves up, Espeon, Buizel, and Absol made a break for the portal, diving into it shortly followed by Pikachu, who spun in the air as he went, closing the portal behind him as he did. The only trace of their presence being the massive crater where his attack had landed.

Once the dust had settled, and Tapu Koko had stopped fussing over Tapu Lele, he flew over to the conscious Genesect with fire in his eyes.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF ARCEUS WAS THAT!?"

The Genesect, who had the decency to look embarrassed, simply looked away as the glow dissipated from his eyes.

"Arceus ordered us to, in the event of seeing it, secure and isolate the item given to the Chosen One by Giratina. She was adamant that we get it either stop him from giving it from them or take it from them and prevent them from using it. We were forced to act."

Tapu Koko simply starred blankly, before he just sighed.

"Incompetent. Every last one of you. Every Legendary is actually incompetent. How do we still have a planet?"

And with that, he floated off to where the Genesect's body had been flung. It was probably a good idea to secure his body and hide it before a trainer found him.

Things just got really complicated.

* * *

'I can definitely get used to this.' Lycanroc thought to himself as he was showered with praise and affection from the numerous fans surrounding him.

Having recognised Kingler and Torkoal as the ones who were part of Ash's team, the tour group had swarmed over to the small group and had begun vying for their attention. One of them, a tourist hailing from Alola, had recognised Lycanroc as well, and had shouted out to the group that he was also one of Ash's Pokémon.

Steenee, having not been noticed by the group, had taken the opportunity to slip away from the horde of adoring and overbearing fans, enjoying the carnage from a distance. Not that Lycanroc minded.

Kingler and Torkoal weren't enjoying it as much as Lycanroc were however and were looking very awkward as they tried not to upset the group as they rubbed and stroked and shouted, and all sorts of things that made them feel really uncomfortable.

But as they focused on the group, and the group likewise focused on them, none of them noticed as a mirror in the corner of the room began to ripple and distort. Soon enough, a strong gust began to pour out from the portal, and out came tumbling several Pokémon.

Several recognisable Pokémon.

Several roughed up and **angry** Pokémon.

"What the hell was that? Why did they attack us?" Buizel shouted, huffing in agitation as he paced in the corner of the room.

"How would I know Buizel? One minute we're being interrogated, the next we've been jumped by a pair of Legendaries. That's weird, even for us." Pikachu said back, as he quickly checked over both Absol and Snowy for injuries, ignoring his own scrapes while doing so.

" _I don't understand, why were they so aggressive? That lead Legendary, Tapu Koko was it?"_ Espeon asked to which Buizel nodded, _"Right, Tapu Koko, he seemed annoyed at us but just as surprised when those other Legendaries attacked us. I didn't even recognise those Legendaries."_

"They're Genesect. Really old Legendaries which had been modified by Team Plasma. We bumped into them back in Unova, and they were causing trouble. Not intentionally mind you, they were confused and looking for their home, which had been lost to time. But Ash did his usual thing, befriended one of them, sorted things out, and the last time we saw them, they were making a new home for themselves." Pikachu explained, while continuing to search the pups for injuries.

"Then why in the name of Lugia did those two attack us?" Buizel shouted, loud enough that he started to gain the attention of the group behind them. Not that he noticed this. Pikachu on the other hand, just shrugged.

"I'm not sure, but they seemed to be going for this," he said while turning the gem over in his paw curiously, "it seems we may be dealing with hostile Legendaries in the future if this keeps up."

"Fantastic. Just what I wanted to happen, as if this weekend hasn't been arduous enough," Buizel muttered to himself, throwing up in the air with exasperation.

"Guys! What are you doing here?"

Turning to the voice, they saw Lycanroc, who, along with everyone else in the building, were now staring at the group of five incredulously.

"Oh hey, Lycanroc. Fancy seeing you here," Buizel said jovially, before pausing as he turned back to Pikachu, "where exactly _is_ here?"

"The Hidden Village. Ash and I met Bulbasaur here. Don't know why I thought to came here, it was just a flash decision," Pikachu admitted.

Accepting this, Buizel turned back to the others.

"Well come on then you lot, whose here?" He asked, to which Lycanroc, Steenee, Torkoal, and Kingler stepped forward, which pleased Buizel.

"Brilliant. Let's go, we've got places to be and things to catch you up on. We'll give you the details on the way, but in short: we're getting the band back together."

With nothing more to add, the group walked to Pikachu, who had finished his inspection of the two pups and had found them both to be in good condition. With that done, he held the crystal up again and the mirror rippled open into another portal, opening another gateway into the Reverse World.

"What a strange day." Lycanroc muttered to himself as he walked through the portal, followed shortly by the others with the portal snapping shut behind them, leaving the group of tourists standing there completely shocked and unable to move.

"What just happened?"

* * *

"Ticket please." A flight attendant said politely, which Iris complied to by handing over her ticket.

Having spoken to Delia earlier that day, Iris knew that Ash was at the very least making his way to Pallet Town, and that he had been dealing with some sort of Legendary issue. Which wasn't that surprising honestly.

What was surprising was that he was in Kanto, because in the last letter that Ash had sent her about a month ago, he was in Alola, and was meant to stay in Alola till the end of the school year. So how he ended up in Kanto was a complete mystery.

So, after some deliberation and thought, Iris decided that he needed some help. He was just a little kid after all (even though she knew he was about a year and a half older than her. He didn't act like it at least). With that settled, she jumped online, booked a plane ticket, and was now at the airport, boarding the fastest plane she could get to Kanto.

The attendant, having checked her ticket, handed it back to her, allowing her to board before turning to the next customer boarding the plane.

"Ticket please." The attendant said again absently, before paling at who was standing in front of her booth.

Charizard, with a small bag under one arm, and Eevee under his other arm, spent a good moment trying his best to hand over his ticket, almost knocking over the attendant's computer as he did. After some awkwardness, and lots of quiet chuckles from Eevee, he managed to hand over the ticket.

The attendant stood there holding the ticket in his hand, staring at it and Charizard in confusion, before looking at the queue behind him. And standing behind him were Dewott, Muk, and Krookodile, all holding their tickets and waiting patiently to board.

Shrugging this off, the attendant began checking the ticket, with Iris standing near the entrance to the plane impatiently.

"Come on guys, let's go. I don't know what's going on with Ash, but that idiot needs all the help he can get. Come on!"

Charizard took his now checked ticket and walked to the boarding entrance, with Dewott stepping forward to the booth.

"Ticket please."

* * *

Buzzwole was busying himself with the multitude of reports from the following battle informing him of the consequences of his botched attack.

He had committed nearly four hundred of his best warriors to this attack, with a wide range of Ultra Beast types for maximum efficiency. They had surrounded the Great Defender and swarmed his attackers, hoping that catching them on the back foot would prevent them from mounting a proper counter attack.

He knew better than to underestimate the Great Defender, others had done that and failed. Because despite his appearance as a goofy, fun loving, human teenager, he was a remarkable strategist. His spies had obtained tonnes of footage of him using his Pokémon against the best of the best and performing remarkably well. Despite not always winning, he was doing better than the majority of his peers, and had even defeated Legendaries, including a damnable Darkrai.

Buzzwole himself had fought a Darkrai in the past, and despite having a double type advantage, he could barely last a few minutes against one. If it weren't for the intervention of about a dozen of his brothers, he wouldn't have survived that encounter.

While it had taken four of his Pokémon, the Great Defender had actually **bested** the dark type. A remarkable feat indeed. And their recent performance in the last battle had only shown that they had gotten stronger since then.

One hundred and twenty-nine of his warriors had been brought back completely unconscious, most of whom had still not woken up yet. Another two hundred and sixty-two came back with notable injuries that needed treatment. And that left just around a hundred or so of his warriors left ready to act again, and while they had certainly dished plenty of damage back to the Great Defender, he knew that another attack with his remaining forces would result in his defeat.

If he _could_ launch another attack, that is.

As it currently stood, he wasn't sure where the Great Defender was. He had sent Poipole to the boy's house as a place to start looking, but there was no guarantee that they'd be there at all. He could be literally in any of the regions, and Buzzwole had no way of knowing where he was and how to find him.

But even that wasn't his prime concern, since the recent battle had highlighted another issue: there was other forces at play. Not only had there been a trio of resistance fighters present, but Mewtwo, one of the Aggressor's attack dogs, had also been presence. Intel had shown that this Legendary had not involved himself with the Great Defender yet, so his arrival was not at his beset. But rather, someone else.

If the Aggressor knew of the horde's intentions, then they were in a bad situation. The horde, as great as it was, simply wasn't prepared to deal with the full might of the Aggressor and the powers of the universe brought to bear against them.

They needed to be smarter than that.

But as Buzzwole contemplated this, he was disturbed by the arrival of one of his captains.

"My lord, what's left of my pack is ready to strike again. We await your command," A Blacephalon said as they walked in, their head lighting up as they spoke. But Buzzwole simply shook his hand at this.

"No need, we won't be attacking for a while. Best to let our warriors rest and recovery, so that when the next battle comes about, we're ready to bring everything we've got."

Blacephalon tilted his head at this, stepping deeper into Buzzwole's home.

"My lord? I thought we were going to take out the Great Defender, robbing the Aggressor of her best warrior against us."

"That was the plan, but things have changed. We were meant to do that before she could discover what our intent was, and we've failed. We're on her radar, and if we wish to succeed, we need to stay unnoticed for now. Let her gaze shift somewhere else, then strike again."

Blacephalon nodded at this, turning back toward a window and looking out toward the camp where most of their army was recuperating.

"Is it such a bad to be on her radar? We are preparing for war with her after all, why wait?"

Buzzwole simply chuckled at his captain, shifting through another report.

"And that is why you only lead a pack my friend. You just seek to jump straight in, failing to realise that it would cost us too much. If we were to engage her head on, we'd be destroyed. Hence why we are going after her agents; to weaken her forces before the final battle."

Buzzwole paused to stretch his arms somewhat, before stepping toward his captain.

"Rest assured, our time will come, and we will be prepared."

Satisfied with this, Blacephalon took his leave, but before he could leave, he was stopped by a final request.

"Oh, and would you kindly find the Buzzwole who led the pre-emptive strike for me please and tell him I'd like a quick word? I want to cross-reference our experiences and see if we can find some correlation in how the Great Defender acts."

Blacephalon nodded at this and began to exit Buzzwole's temporary shack feeling content. His lord was indeed telling the truth, doing everything he could to prepare them for the next strike. So he'd keep faith, and soon they would have their retribution. As he left the shack, Buzzwole, alone with his thoughts, began to muse.

"And who knows? Maybe when that final battle comes, the Great Defender will fight **for** us. We will see."

* * *

"It's beautiful," Lillie breathed as she walked through the streets of Alto Mare, with Latias and Bianca watching on amused.

While Lorenzo and Mewtwo discussed their options as to what to do next, Bianca suggested that they should have dinner. Agreeing to this, Lorenzo then sent her and the other two girls to go and get the necessary ingredients to feed everyone. And now, as they made their way back from the market, Lillie was taking this opportunity to take in the sights.

And what a sight it was.

The city of Alto Mare was truly beautiful, with gorgeous architecture being consistent in every building, even the back-alley homes and vendors that existed in the most reclusive parts of the city. The water that ran all throughout the city was serene and was so clear that it almost looked drinkable.

It truly was a gem of a city.

"You guys are so lucky to be able to call this home," Lillie admitted out loud, which got a chuckle out of Bianca.

"Maybe, but when you spend your entire life here, the sights become a bit… old."

Latias, who was walking next to Bianca in her disguise, simply nodded in agreement, as her eyes began to lose focus, her thoughts clearly drifting away to something else.

Lillie, however, was focusing on the two of them very intently. They looked, _absolutely_ identical. Even now, with Lillie already knowing which one was which, she could barely tell them apart. The only distinguishable difference the two was the white beret that Bianca wore, which she had mentioned she wore because many famous artists supposedly wore them.

The sheer lack of difference between the two threw Lillie for a loop, as she didn't know what to make of it. She still hadn't processed that she had touch Latias repeatedly back in Alola, and to find out that she was a Pokémon was still sending chills down her spine.

Something which Bianca couldn't help but notice.

"What's your deal with Pokémon? You seem to like them enough, but you've avoided contact with them the entire time you've been here."

Lillie, breaking off her search for a notable difference between the two Alto Mare natives, just awkwardly shrugged.

"I… kind of have a phobia of Pokémon. I've been getting better, I can now touch **two** Pokémon without freaking out. But it doesn't matter, I can admire Pokémon well enough from a distance."

Bianca raised an eyebrow at this, and Lillie simply turned back around, focusing on carrying her bags of shopping.

A grin began to break out on Bianca's face, as she had an idea. She leant over to Latias and began to whisper in her ear, causing her to smile as well. She then stopped and placed her bags on the floor, with Latias doing the same.

Lillie, noticing they were no longer following her, shouted back to them.

"Are you two alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine. Just needed to readjust my bags," she called back, soon walking up right next to her, with her bags being, just as she said, slightly readjusted on her arms.

Soon, they got back to the Secret Garden, and started placing the bags in the kitchen for Lorenzo. With the bags placed in the kitchen, Latias went to tell the others they were back while Lillie and Bianca started unpacking them, with Bianca pointing to show Lillie where everything went.

After five minutes, they were almost done, and Lillie couldn't help but be pleased at this. After such an intense weekend, with literal gods descending on her home and her life and friends being in danger, the menial chore was actually quite soothing.

As she considered this, Bianca came over and threw her arm over Lillie's shoulder, which Lillie quite liked.

"That reminds me, I never thanked you for allowing us into your home," Lillie realised aloud, feeling the girl next to her shrug as a response.

" _Don't worry about it, a friend of Ash is a friend of ours."_

Lillie's eyes widened, as realisation began to dawn on her. Slowly, she turned her head to her left, looking at the girl next to her, wearing the white beret and smiling at her. Though Lillie now knew, it wasn't Bianca.

" _Are you ok?"_ Latias asked, her tone being as soft as she could make it to try and not startle Lillie.

Swallowing her fear, Lillie closed her eyes and asked a question.

"How long have you been wearing that hat?"

" _Well, we swapped bags and I took her hat on the way home. Bianca said it might be helpful if you spent some time with a Pokémon while being completely relaxed, so you know you have nothing to worry about. Did it work?"_

Lillie took a deep breath, and just nodded.

"A little. But I think we'll need to do this more before I'm completely comfortable."

Latias could only smile, and as her smile lit up the room, Lorenzo walked in with the actual Bianca.

"Right then, let's get cooking."

* * *

The tension was palpable, as the group stared at Mewtwo worryingly. Or at least, someone who looked like Mewtwo.

Because apparently, this Mewtwo didn't know who they were. And based on how their hands were poised, they weren't exactly… friendly.

Gigalith gazed over his companions, tallying up their strengths and seeing where they stood. Corpish, for such a small Pokémon, was very stubborn, capable of taking more punishment than a small Pokémon should be able to. And because of his size, he'd probably be underestimated, allowing him to get a good attack in; something else he was good at. Butterfree, for as much as he hadn't been one of Ash's Pokémon for many years, was clearly stronger than he had been back then, a result of surviving in the wild for nearly five years. And being a bug type certainly was a boon. Noctowl was, by proxy more than anything, their only defence against the psychic powers of Mewtwo. While he wouldn't be able to overpower Mewtwo's psychic abilities, he might be able to actually negate some of the attacks enough to give them a chance.

Overall, not great.

That meant that Gigalith was, rather worryingly, their ace in their hole. Being the biggest of the group and the one most capable of taking damage, he was their main defence against the sheer power of Mewtwo. Which was problematic, since Gigalith knew from watching the Mewtwo they _did_ know fight, that size wasn't exactly much use against their powers.

Which was even better.

The Mewtwo, who was starring at them with both disgust and confusion, took a moment to observe the interlopers, before their eyes began to glow. Everyone tensed for an attack, but rather surprisingly, nothing happened. In fact, the Mewtwo even relaxed, dropping their arms and untensing its muscles.

" _So… there is another like me. How peculiar."_ The Mewtwo said in a rather soft voice, sounding much more feminine than the Mewtwo they knew, but no less powerful and sure of itself.

Taking this as a cue that they weren't going to fight, everyone wound down, their collective breaths finally being let go.

" _Tell me, how do you know this… other Mewtwo."_

"Well, he's kind of a friend of our trainer. They go way back, with our trainer helping Mewtwo out in the past. He seems quite fond of our trainer," Corpish explained.

Mewtwo considered this, before their eyes glowed again, and they actively recoiled.

" _It would seem that your trainer gets around, as I've encountered him as well. He certainly is active,"_ the Mewtwo commented, which everyone nodded in agreement to, before carrying on, _"and he certainly lives an interesting life, based on what I've seen. Teleported from Alola to humble Unova. You are far from where you are meant to be."_

"Yeah, we know, we're trying to get home now, but we've gotten a bit lost. We've inherited our trainer's sense of direction. But if we're interloping, we'll be on our way and out of your hair." Gigalith responded, turning to leave.

But before he could, a sense of weightlessness began to envelope him, as he began to float upward.

" _No need, I will assist you. I am curious to what the situation is with your trainer and these attackers, and if they wish to destroy this Earth, they'll have to deal with me,"_ Mewtwo said, waving a hand and lifting everyone with ease.

" _And truthfully, I wish to meet this other Mewtwo. See if there is truly another like myself."_

Lifting up into the air themselves, they floated above the tree canopy, and transformed into something that none of them had ever seen before, with their tail being on their head and their entire body being much sleeker.

" _Also, since you're wondering, I identify as female. As for why your Mewtwo identifies as male, it will be one of many questions I have. So where are we heading?"_

"Pallet Town, in Kanto. If you don't mind," Butterfree requested, which she responded to with a nod.

" _And away we go."_

* * *

"Ash is the Chosen One?"

"Indeed."

"… Ash Ketchum?"

Lucario could only sigh, as he confirmed, yet again, to the blonde champion that Ash Ketchum was the Chosen One of legend. For the thousandth time.

It seemed that, no matter what he said, Cynthia just couldn't comprehend that Ash was the Chosen One. Which was fair enough, Ash didn't seem the type based on his usual giddiness toward Pokémon as a whole and his optimistic and sometimes naïve outlook.

But oh well.

Everyone else that was there had taken this opportunity to rest, making a temporary campsite in the temple ruins, and were trading stories with one another. The only one not with them, unsurprisingly, was the Nihilego, who was making a point of staying a fair distance away from the others.

"I know he's not the kind of person you'd think would be a fairy tale hero, but he does seem to have put in the legwork for that reputation at least."

Oh, and Mallow was sitting with both himself and the Champion.

But Mallow's comment seemed to have stirred some sort of reaction from her, as she frowned at Mallow.

"What do you mean? _What_ reputation?"

Lucario said nothing, watching the two intently. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew what was going on.

"Well, he's certainly done a lot of stuff that you'd imagine someone who is called the Chosen One to have gotten done. He was telling us about it the other day. He's done all sorts. He's saved Legendaries and towns alike, he has fixed loads of problems, and saved the world dozens of times. I mean, he was even the one who stopped those weather fluctuations a few years ago which would have destroyed the world."

Lucario noticed that this seemed to shock the champion, as she leaned forward to Mallow.

"For real? I mean, I know that when he was in Sinnoh he had a few encounters, I was there for most of them. But he did this in other regions?"

"She wasn't!"

Lucario turned toward the group, where Torterra had just shouted.

"What was that?"

"The Champion. She said she was there for most of them and she wasn't. She was there at Mt. Coronet and she saw the fight against Tobias, but she missed a lot. Off the top of my head? She missed when we were caught in the middle of a fight between Palkia and Dialga in a town where a Darkrai lived, when we had to deal with an annoying Shaymin and a rather nice Giratina, met Regigigas at least twice, a fight between the Creation Trio and Arceus herself, and that time in Crown City with Celebi and the Beast Trio. That was all in Sinnoh. And I'm sure I missed some."

Cynthia, who was looking at Torterra with a rapt look, turned back to Lucario.

"What did he say?"

"He's said that you've missed out on a lot and went on to list interactions with Legendaries they've had in this region. About a dozen different Legendaries in fact."

Cynthia paled at this, her mouth hanging out of her mouth.

"A, a dozen? Different? In Sinnoh? I missed twelve Legendary Pokémon who've appeared and interacted with Ash?" She asked, which Lucario and Torterra both nodded to, "And this happens in other regions?"

"Well, he's already gotten the interest of the Legendaries of our home Island in Alola, if that helps." Mallow added, which just caused Cynthia to sit back. She stayed quiet for a moment before standing up.

"Right, something doesn't add up. Something has kept this information from me, since there's no way this many Legendary Pokémon could appear **and** interact with people, including Ash, without it getting to me. And I'm going to find out who is doing this."

And with that, she began stalking to the exit, with everyone watching her leave.

"Should we go after her?" Mallow asked, which Lucario nodded to, prompting everyone to stand up and begin following her.

* * *

Tapu Bulu was simply staring forward in frustration, as the others hung back, watching the interaction with barely stifled snickers.

"So you haven't seen him at all?"

"For the fifth time, no! I haven't seen him in about two years. Not him, or any of his Pokémon. Now get out!" Darkrai shouted, as he hovered on the edge of Alamos Town, arms crossed and a vein throbbing on his head.

"Don't tell me to just leave! I'm here on official Tapu business, and I need to find the Chosen One! So where is he?" Tapu Bulu yelled back, his temper flaring as well.

"NOT HERE!" Darkrai roared, using all of his restraint to not outright attack him there and then.

"Should we help him?" The red Genesect asked, to which Tapu Fini simply shook her head.

"No, not yet. Let's enjoy the show for a bit longer."

And so they did, as the two hot-tempered Legendaries continued to shout at one another.

* * *

"So, you guys lost too?" Unfezant asked from his branch, causing the group of Pokémon huddled around his tree to chuckle as they gathered away from the others.

The small section of the forest where they had stumbled upon each other was now bustling with activity as the large group began to split off to do varying tasks and activities.

The humans were all huddled together, with three of Ash's friends (with Staraptor begrudgingly accepting that Paul now counted as a friend) all rushing about and rummaging through the supplies they had on them to try and help May, who was still recovering from being possessed by the Nihilego and the toxins that were running through her system. The only human not involved in this, Looker, had been assigned a handler, since Misty had made a point of not trusting him.

Which was why Greninja was now watching him like a hawk, ready to strike if he tried anything.

Speaking of the Nihilego, a second group had formed up around Snorlax, who was still hurt from the Nihilego's gut shot it landed during its escape. Normally, Snorlax would be able to tough it out, something he had done before from much stronger attacks. But he was still recovering from the massive battle from earlier, and the several hour trek they had undergone which led to them finding Misty and the others. So, with Azelf and Rotom-Dex overseeing his recovery, he was now being treated for the poison the attack had left in his system.

Which meant that as the sun went down over… whatever forest they were in, everyone else, including Staraptor, Sceptile, Blaziken, Unfezant, Primeape, and Pidgeot, were left to stand around and exchange the information they had gotten so far since being separated.

Which left Blaziken feeling both confused and frustrated.

"So, you guys have been dealing with Legendaries all weekend, been attacked by what are essentially aliens, and have now been teleported across the globe? Is that an accurate summary?" He asked in an exasperated tone, which got a collection of nods, "you know, I miss when things like this surprised me. Now I'm just annoyed we weren't involved from the start in all honesty."

But Pidgeot just signed from her perch next to Unfezant.

"That's not it I'm afraid, since we've got a whole lot of trouble to deal with from other groups."

The ones who had been in the group with Blaziken and the Nihilego looked up at her, confusion etched onto their face.

"What do you mean from other groups? What other groups?" Sceptile asked, crossing his arms as he leant against a tree.

"Well, apparently, the Aether Foundation, whoever they are, are interested in Ultra Beasts, their president in particular."

"But why is that a bad thing? If they're after the Ultra Beasts, they're not after us."

This caused the others to mutter amongst themselves, with Primeape throwing his fists up in the air to catch their attention.

"Don't be too sure. All we've been told is that the president is basically obsessed in getting her hands on an Ultra Beast; we don't know what they're willing to do. And remember, these guys are after Ultra Beasts, who are targeting… remind me, who are they targeting again?" He asked rhetorically, which made Unfezant groan as she realised what Primeape was suggesting.

"Us. They're targeting Ash, and by extension, us. So, the Aether Foundation might go after _us_."

"Great, now we have a crazy capitalist after us as well as two groups of Ultra Beasts," Staraptor groaned, which Pidgeot frowned at.

"Two?"

Sceptile scoffed loudly, flicking around his little twig in his mouth in a practiced motion.

"Oh yeah, the other group of Ultra Beasts, the ones who took our friends in the first place, were **lying** to us. They didn't need to kidnap those three to talk, they just wanted insurance."

"Is that why the Nihilego ran!?" Primeape roared out, before spinning on his heel and smashing his fist clean through a tree.

"So that makes three," Sceptile counted, before Unfezant weighed in again.

"Four actually, since the Legendaries are withholding information as well."

Blaziken, who had been listening intently, just smacked his head against a tree. Ignoring this, Unfezant just carried on.

"Azelf has said she's going to inform us of what is being kept from us when we find Ash, but we still have to deal with the fact that they're keeping from us in the first place."

"What about the policeman? Why do we need to watch him again?" Blaziken asked, which Primeape waved off.

"Oh, he knows about Ultra Beasts as well, and frankly, he just gives off an untrustworthy vibe. We're not risking it."

"So in summary, _everyone_ , apart from people we already know, can't be trusted. Great." Sceptile commented dryly, before pushing himself off his tree to stand up straight.

"So that settles it, we need to find Ash. Strength in numbers, and to do that, we need to find out where we are."

With everyone in agreement, they went to check on the other groups, eager to see whether they could begin travelling. As soon as they could, they could find a nearby settlement or town, and make a plan from there.

* * *

"Origin Pulse!"

"Aeroblast!"

"Draco Meteor!"

Torracat ran as fast as he could as he and the group who had rescued Hoopa tore through Aether Paradise, being hounded by dozens of security guards and personal as they made their way to the docks in order to escape.

With little ranged moves to his names, Torracat had been put on point, with the specific task of clearing the way as the others fired backwards at their pursuers. Be it people, Pokémon, or, what they were encountering most at the moment, doors.

Which Torracat was tearing through with ease.

With another high-powered slash, Torracat tore through another door, allowing the others to keep progressing unhindered. He may not have been able to fire anything backwards, but Torracat was certainly not being dead weight.

However, as more blasts flew overhead, a yelp sounded out, causing Torracat to pause and turn.

There, with a burn mark on her leg from where she got hit, was Lugia, with Hoopa's unconscious body slumped next to her.

And there were guards rushing toward her, with Magnetons and Alolan Muks alongside them in force.

Torracat saw red, and flames were beginning to form and pour forth from his mouth uncontrollably. Without giving it a second of thought, he leaped back toward her, diving past both Garchomp and Squirtle as he did.

He landed about two feet away but didn't stop as his paws slid across the shiny floor, bringing him even closer to the two. But he paid it no thought, as he unleashed the built-up flame, an intense Flamethrower bursting forth and slamming into the closest Magneton, knocking it out instantly. Not letting up, Torracat spewed the Flamethrower constantly, throwing the beam left and right in order to create a solid wall of flame.

The intense flame was enough to stop the guards from progressing forward, and even the majority of their Pokémon were halted, not willing to risk the flames. But not all of them, as a pair of Magmar stepped through the flame, unperturbed and undistracted by the attack.

But Torracat didn't care, gritting his teeth and growling at the two.

"Stay away from her," he growled through his teeth, his eyes aflame with years of built-up hated. He may have lost Stoutland, his only family for a large part of his life, but he now had a new family with Ash and his team; Lugia included. And nothing, not the Ultra Beasts, not the Legendaries, and **certainly** not a bunch of know-it-all scientists who just wanted to collect rare Pokémon for their crazy boss.

A red aura began to outline Torracat's form, and his eyes began to glow red like Lycanroc. With all caution thrown to the wind, Torracat rushed forward, charging the two recklessly. He hit the first with enough force to send it flying back through the wall of flame, even knocking over some other guards as it did. The second Magmar, taking this opportunity to strike, and hit Torracat in the side with a Slash.

But Torracat didn't care, shrugging the attack off and knocking the Magmar's arm away before smashing into the Magmar's stomach.

However, as the second Magmar slumped to the ground, the wall of flame had died down, and now there were multiple guards and Pokémon standing there, looking very angry.

"We've got you now," the lead guard shouted, before another shout interrupted.

"NO MAN LEFT BEHIND!"

Suddenly, multiple beams of concentrated blasts of water slammed into the guards, clearing the entire hallway as it knocked over all the grouped-up attackers with ease.

Squirtle, running over to Torracat, slapped him on the head, causing Torracat to almost attack him before a Bubble hit him on the forehead.

"Yeah, yeah, you learnt Outrage, congratulations, all that, but could you knock it off? We get to get Lugia out of here."

The mention of Lugia knocked Torracat out of his rage, the red aura fading away as he turned back to the others. Lugia was up, with a slight limp but up, and Garchomp was now the one carrying Hoopa in his arms.

Nodding to Squirtle, the pair began to run with them, Torracat slipping under Lugia's wing to help support her as they ran forward.

Up ahead, at the end of the corridor they were running down, the last door crumpled up, before being ripped away to reveal a slightly singed Seismitoad standing there.

"Come on! We're ready to go!" He shouted, before running back through the doorway to the docks which laid beyond.

Seeing their escape in sight, everyone picked up the pace, even Squirtle, who despite having the shortest legs out of everyone there, was somehow leading the way.

"GET TO DA CHOPPA!"

"We don't have a helicopter, we have a boat."

"GET TO DA BOAT!"

In the docks, there was absolute chaos. The Pokémon who had been sent to secure a boat were in the middle of fighting off several dozen of the Aether Foundation's Pokémon, keeping them away from the boat they managed to secure for their escape. So that meant that Swellow, Glalie, and Hawlucha were forming an improvised front line.

Fortunately, not only had they been reinforced by Seismitoad and Emboar, but Kiawe had called out his Pokémon to join the fray, and even some of Dawn's Pokémon had joined in, including her lumbering Mamoswine and her graceful Togekiss.

Diving onto the boat, Torracat watched as Lugia, Garchomp, Squirtle, and Hoopa, jumped onto the boat, before Squirtle shouted out to the others.

"Let's go! On the boat!" He ordered, before charging up another Origin Pulse to cover their retreat.

Using his Flamethrower, Torracat did what he could to buy the others time to get on the boat, and when everyone had boarded, he watched as Garchomp gestured to Kiawe, who was sitting at the boat's controls.

"Punch it!" He shouted, not that Kiawe understood his words. He _did_ , however, understand the gestures, and within seconds, the boat's engine was started, and they were soaring out of Aether Paradise, and into freedom.

"Well that was fun," Hawlucha muttered as the massive structure began to fade into the background, earning a number of tired chuckles.

They had done it.

* * *

"AND LAPRAS IS KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS! WITH ALL SIX POKÉMON KNOCKED OUT, CHALLENGER TOBY HAS LOST THE CHALLENGE, AND LANCE REMAINS: THE REIGNING CHAMPION!"

The crowd went wild as the announcer shouted the results, and Lance, soaking in the praise, waved to his adoring fans.

As a Champion, Lance had to, somewhat regularly, respond to challengers. Not all of them were for his title, as those events were usually much bigger. But in order to appease the Kanto government and the tournament officials which organised the routine region tournaments, they needed the members of the Elite Four and the Champion to engage in non-official bouts in order to demonstrate their power and to entertain.

It wasn't Lance's favourite part of being the champion, especially since it got in the way of whatever he was doing at the time of the matches being announced, but he couldn't deny, as he stood on the podium with a stadium of fans roaring their approval of his battle and skills, that he did enjoy it as well.

Once he was done waving to his fans, he walked back down the tunnel to the lift, before clicking the button which took him to his personal room in the stadium, where he could unwind before moving onto his next task for the day: reading paperwork for a proposal to expand the Kanto Safari zone for new imports.

But as the doors to the lift opened, Lance knew that he wasn't going to be touching that paperwork for a while.

Standing in his room, in immaculate green suits and sunglasses (despite being indoors, mind you) were a pair of individuals, one male and one female. They stood by his desk, one flipping through a booklet advertising the stadium and the events that were being run today, and the other holding a tablet. They stood their silently, up until Lance walked within arm's length.

"Champion Lance, good afternoon," the female one greeted, holding her hand out to Lance, but Lance just walked around them to his seat at his desk, kneeling down and reaching into the mini-fridge he had built into it. He pulled out a beer and sat down facing the two agents.

"Enough with the formalities, I'm not in the mood for them since I know you're here to get me to do something, so get with it," Lance drawled, abandoning pleasantries entirely. Normally he wouldn't, especially with what he assumed were agents of the International Police but considering they had broken into his office and ambushed him after a tiring battle, for all he cared; they could just deal with it.

Somewhat surprised by this, but recovering quickly, the woman continued.

"Very well, we'll skip to the important part of today's meeting; we wish to acquire your services for a mission, one which will help keep the world in balance."

Lance raised an eyebrow at this, leaning back into his chair as he took a sip of his beer. 'This ought to be good,' he thought to himself.

"Explain yourselves."

The man, who had been as silent as the grave until this point, finally spoke.

"We are agents of ICOP, and it is our task to make sure that the general populace is kept in the dark about certain aspects of the world. Normally, we can handle these issues by ourselves, but recently, we've had a development that has continued to spiral out of control, and if nothing is done, then the natural balance of the world will be knocked off."

Lance looked at the two incredulously for a moment, trying to look for any hint that the two were pulling his leg. After finding nothing, he had enough.

"ICOP? Never heard of it. And since I haven't heard of it, it's not something that falls under my duties as a champion. So respectfully, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave before I make you," and to punctuate this, his hand hovered over one of his Pokéballs, ready to call Dragonite forth if they tried anything. But the agents seemed unbothered by this.

"I understand your annoyance, you're a busy man after all. However, I feel like you might want to get involved, if only for Ash Ketchum's sake."

This caught Lance's attention, jumping out of his seat so he was standing.

"Are you threatening him? Because if you are, I most definitely will get involved, if only to burn ICOP to the ground. What does he have to do with this?"

"Everything."

All the anger that just suddenly flooded Lance's body just disappeared, washing away to be replaced by the calming but annoying sensation of being confused. Taking this as a cue to keep talking, the female agent picked up the conversation.

"I should explain who we are: the ICOP agency, or rather; the 'International Chosen One Protection Agency', is a secret organisation designed to keep the actions and identity of all the Chosen One's throughout history anonymous. Ash Ketchum is the latest in a long line of Chosen One's, but is also the most peculiar and frustrating," she explained, causing Lance to recoil slightly.

"Are you suggesting that Ash Ketchum, the eager, talented, but still learning trainer from Pallet Town, is the Chosen One? What does that even mean?" He asked incredulously, which didn't faze either of the agents.

"Throughout history, there have been dozens of prophecies about events that majorly influence the world in one way or another. Be it to change a culture's outlook, to destroy an evil organisation, or to just simply stop the world's destruction; there is always someone at hand to prevent it. And Ash is the latest one, having saved the entire world from destruction during the Shamouti incident four years ago."

Lance stood there is complete silence, reeling at this information. He remembered the Shamouti incident well, having spent the next three weeks dealing with the consequences that the freak weather had caused. Pokémon freaking out, injuries caused by strong winds or earthquakes, and general panic; he had been kept busy. Professor Oak had written a report explaining that it was a result of a dispute between the resident Lugia and Bird trio that lived in Shamouti, and that they had been calmed which was what averted the crisis. Which must have meant that Ash was the one who calmed them enough to save the planet.

As he processed the fact that Ash had been the one to save the world, not long after his first league appearance, the agent carried on.

"Now normally, after they've done their part, the Chosen Ones simply return to a life of normalcy. Which is when we come in. We step in, redact their names from any reports, document it for ourselves, and cover it up, allowing the Chosen One in question to return to their normal routine. Most of them are then capable of living out there lives without being targeted by organised criminal elements or an overbearing media and populace. Which is where Mr Ketchum breaks the mould."

Lance perked up again, curious as to what the agent meant.

"Normally, they no longer play a part in world altering events, leaving them to the likes of champions and aura guardians. However, Ash has simply… not done this," the agent explained, showing emotion for the first time as a look of exasperation flooded their face, "he has played a pivotal part in event, after event, after world altering and devastating events. For the past four years, he just hasn't stopped getting involved. At this point, it would be more efficient to name events and Legendary Pokémon he _hasn't_ been involved or interacted with. Making our lives very difficult."

The male agent took over again, not giving Lance the chance to ask any questions.

"Now, normally, this wouldn't be too much of an issue. It's frustrating, since it means every few weeks or months we have to cover up another incident, but it does mean we're kept busy, since the organisation _does_ have its dull moments. But a new development has become too much for us to handle alone, so we've been greenlit to bring you in as an asset."

The woman agent took this moment to hand Lance the tablet, which booted up to life and began playing various images and videos, some of Ash in Alola, and some of the Legendaries that had shown up there. As Lance flicked through it, the male agent continued.

"There have been multiple public incidents in the past few days, even escalating to the point of Pokémon from a different dimension or planet engaging in a large-scale conflict on a public beach. And now… rather embarrassingly… we've lost the Chosen One."

Lance looked up from the tablet, starring at him for a good moment before speaking.

"You lost Ash? **How** did you manage that?"

"The Legendary Pokémon known as Hoopa interfered, and now we've lost sight of the Chosen One. We're requisitioning the aid of Champions to help track him and his Pokémon down, in order to prevent some world ending catastrophe that we don't know about. We have other agents heading to speak to the other champions as we speak. Question is: can we count on your assistance?"

Lance sighed to himself, already feeling in his bones what he had to do. He just couldn't turn this down. So, quickly downing his beer, he went to his coat rack, put on a fresh cape, and turned back to the agents.

"When do we start?"

* * *

"Not much longer now, I promise."

Bulbasaur nodded at Suicune as they waited patiently in their section of the forest. Having agreed that Pallet Town was probably the best place to try and travel to, they had spent a good deal of time trying to organise how best to travel. Suicune suggested that she carry them, being able to travel much faster than any of the Pokémon in the group and also strong enough to do so with passengers. However, Bulbasaur quickly pointed out that between himself, an egg, Popplio, Infernape, and Gliscor, they might have been too heavy collectively for her.

So instead, Suicune roared into the air, and told the others to wait patiently. Trusting the Legendary, they sat down and began to relax, having a strong feeling that they won't get another change to do so until after they've dealt with the Ultra Beast problem.

Infernape has scurried up a tree and procured some fruit, which he and Gliscor where now munching on.

Bulbasaur, cradling his egg, and Popplio decided to take this chance to fill Suicune in on the situation, earning her undivided attention.

They had just brought her up to speed when her ears perked up.

"Ah, they're here."

Suddenly, two shapes tore through the forest, stopping just next to the group in two flashes of bright light. Once the light faded, Suicune approached the two shapes, reuniting the trio.

"Brothers, thank you for coming," she greeted, which Entei and Raikou both grunted at, before she turned to the group behind her.

"I reckon can carry you lot easily enough," she said cheekily, which earned a dry chuckle from Bulbasaur.

"Fair enough, let's get going."

And so, after a few minutes of getting the group onto the backs of the three Legendary beasts, they set off, beginning the long trek to Kanto, and, hopefully, to Ash.

* * *

Anabel sighed contently, as she smelt her cup of tea and leant back into the sofa in Ash's living room.

After they reached his home, she, Sophocles, and the other Pokémon had taken this opportunity to relax, the long day catching up to them. Most of the Pokémon, even the ones who were already at the house, were now sleeping, all strewn about the place as they dozed contently. Sophocles was sleeping on the other sofa, having fell asleep the moment he sat down. Professor Kukui and Oak, who she was surprised to have bumped into, were sitting in the kitchen discussing theories over tea. She had overhead something about the implications of moves which made Pokémon evolve, or something like that.

Which left her and Delia as the only ones still conscious downstairs, since Ash had gone upstairs to change clothing and had failed to come back down, meaning he was probably asleep as well.

Speaking of Delia, she came over with a small plate of biscuits, and placed them on the table as she sat down next to Anabel.

"So, I hear you're one of the Frontier Brains Anabel?" She asked, surprising her instantly.

"You've… heard of me?" She asked, somewhat hesitantly. This was Ash's mother after all.

"Of course," she said jovially, "Ash tells all about his travels and who he meets. I remember when he came home after his battle with you and praised you for how much you challenged him. He was very proud of his Symbol as a result."

She then gestured over to the table of badges, trophies, and symbols, before focusing again on her.

"And of course, I make a point of looking into all the girls Ash interacts with."

This surprised Anabel, but when she tried to say something, she found that her breath was gone. Leaving Delia to continue talking to her interrupted.

"You see, I love my son, but even I know he can be a bit dense. The amount of times he missed the, rather obvious, emotions of people he's interacted with; including that of many girls. Did you know, when he was about six, he wooed over a girl in his class. He had managed to befriend her dad's Pokémon who was giving her problems at the time and had helped her to befriend it as well. She then developed a massive crush on him, which, to this day, he never actually noticed. She's moved on since then, it was only a crush after all, but it has kind of set a trend which still goes on."

"The amount of times I've heard about how he's interacted with some people, it almost hurts with how obvious it is, even when he's explaining it to me, that the girl in question has a crush on him. Arceus, even when he's travelling with a girl who has a crush on him for several months, he somehow misses it. Sometimes I worry that he understands Pokémon's emotions more than people."

Anabel was speechless, unsure what to say and instead just left to sit there with her mouth open.

And then she was shocked into not breathing.

"And now you're on that list of girls who Ash has failed to notice as… well... a girl."

Anabel just sat there wide-eyed, mouth open, and struggling for air. But Delia only chuckled at her reaction.

"Don't worry about a thing dear, I won't say anything. Ash will hopefully come around eventually, and until then, I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide to do."

She then took a biscuit and walked into the kitchen, presumably to check on the two professors, leaving Anabel there to contemplate what she had just been told, and to drink her tea.

With nothing to say, and with her thoughts completely scrambled, she simply sipped her tea.

* * *

"Ok, you really need to learn some new moves Latios. Tomorrow, if we get the chance, I'm gonna teach you some TMs. I might as well, I've got about fifty in my bag," Ash said assertedly, after having been told Latios' rather lacking move set.

It seemed he suffered a similar problem to Latias, where, due to a lack of experience in battling, didn't have much in the way of an extensive move set or a natural understanding of proper battling as a whole. So, since he now had the both of them under his care, Ash had vowed to himself that he'd fix that, giving them plenty of choice in terms of move and lots of experience.

Which they probably would give him grief for, considering he would be using them in battles against his other Pokémon. His other Pokémon, who would like nothing more than to show off by beating a Legendary in a one-on-one battle.

But as he discussed this with Latios, who was giving him his undivided attention, the door to his bedroom slowly opened. Both turning to see who it was, they were surprised to see Mew and…

Who was that with Mew?

Gingerly, they floated into his room, clearly with something to say. But they said nothing, sparing only a few glances at Latios nervously. Taking this cue, Ash leant over to Latios.

"Sorry Latios, but can I have a minute with these two? Maybe you can ask my mum for something to eat?" He asked, which Latios agreed to silently and made his way to the door, still in his disguise and wearing Ash's hat. With him gone, Ash turned to the two.

"So, who are you?" He asked gently, not wanting to spook the small Pokémon. With Mew, surprisingly, becoming defensive.

" _Ok, hear us out, since I know you're not gonna take this well, but basically, this is Poipole,"_ Mew introduced, which caused Ash to stare at the two blankly.

"…ok? And?"

" _And… she's an Ultra Beast."_

Ash sat there for a moment, staring at Mew and then Poipole, before just kind of sighing.

"Please explain, before I fall asleep," he mumbled.

" _You're… not angry?"_

"Honestly? I'm just tired. And based on how: A. I've not been attacked. B. We've not been swarmed by a bunch of Ultra Beasts. And C. You seem to trust her, she isn't a threat. So please hurry up with the explanation." Ash said as politely as he could, as his patience began to fade away along with his level of consciousness.

" _Fair enough. So in summary, she has been sent, by the Ultra Beasts, to… inspect you. They think they've misjudged you, and perhaps their attacks on you have been unnecessary. To see whether this is the case, they've secretly sent Poipole to see what you're like, and whether you can be a friend. Meaning they're not going to bother us, at least for a short time."_

Ash sat there for a moment, bobbing his head along to what Mew was saying. When she was done, he simply just rubbed his face tiredly.

"Well, isn't that something? I guess that's nice to know, means we can focus on finding everyone tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, I'm a bit tired, so I'm going to bed now. Goodnight."

Ash then took his t-shirt off, walking over to his drawers to see if there were any pyjamas in there for him to change into. But then he was interrupted by Mew pulling on his shorts.

" _Actually, the two of us had a quick request, if you wouldn't mind?"_ She asked gingerly, with Poipole nodding enthusiastically behind her. Turning back around, Ash gestured for them to say it. They were silent for a moment, before Mew shouted it out.

" _Wewerewonderingifyoucouldcatchusplease!"_ she said, saying it so quickly that Ash, in his dreary state, could barely understand her.

"Sorry?"

Taking a moment to breath, she tried again.

" _Me and Poipole were wondering if you could catch us. We both really want to see what its like and would really appreciate it if you caught us."_

Ash was woken up somewhat by this, as he looked at the two Pokémon, who looked at him expectantly. After a moment of standing there like an idiot, he walked over to his bag, and pulled out two Pokéballs.

"Of course, I'm always happy to have people join the family."

Mew and Poipole both squealed at this, practically diving into the two Pokéballs, which both clicked instantly to signal their capture. Chuckling to himself, Ash took this opportunity to get changed into his pyjamas and climb into bed. He then let the two out of the Pokéballs, which allowed them both to float out of the room giggling to each other.

And so, with a heavy head and a small smile gracing his face, Ash laid down onto his pillow, and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Hey everyone, I'm back, and with an extra special chapter.

So… here we are. 30 chapters in. I can say, hand on heart, that I never thought I'd make it this far with this story. I never expected it to take off like it did, and I never expected it to become so popular. So first off, thank each and every last one of you for that. You have no idea how much this means to me, both as a Pokémon fan, and as an aspiring writing. Your feedback, praise, criticisms, etc., have made me a better writer, and looking back over the early chapters of this story have shown how far I've come. And that's because of all of you; so thank you so much.

As a token of how much this means to me, and for a 30th chapter special, I've written what is, easily, the longest chapter in this entire story. This chapters contains a lot of content, and hopefully, it is content that you enjoy. I wish I can say that I can keep up this chapter length going forward, but that would be a genuine challenge, and would definitely make my already rubbish uploading schedule even worse. So going forward, we'll return to the usual chapter length. But hopefully you can enjoy this one off.

With so much happening, I feel that its appropriate to update the group list that I did back in Chapter 27. I'm not going to include groups that don't include either: Ash, one of Ash's Pokémon, or one of Ash's friends. So groups such Tapu Bulu's or Lance's won't be included in this list. It currently looks like this:

 **Group 1:** Ash, Anabel, Mawile, Latios, Goodra, Quilava, Larvitar, Talonflame, Heracross, Sophocles, Rowlet, Meganium, Ralts, Leavanny, Scraggy, Togedemaru, Mew, Poipole, Delia, Professor Kukui, Professor Oak, and the Tauros herd

 **Group 2:** Pikachu, Espeon, Absol, Buizel, Snowy (Lillie's Alolan Vulpix), Lycanroc, Kingler, Torkoal, and Steenee

 **Group 3:** Latias, Lillie, Mewtwo, Lapras, Totodile, Bianca (Altomare), and Lorenzo

 **Group 4:** Iris, Charizard, Eevee, Dewott, Muk, and Krookodile

 **Group 5:** Torracat, Lugia, Garchomp, Squirtle, Swellow, Glalie, Emboar, Seismitoad, Hawlucha, Kiawe, Dawn, and Hoopa

 **Group 6:** Misty, Paul, Looker, May, Lana, Pidgeot, Rotom-Dex, Primeape, Unfezant, Azelf, Sceptile, Snorlax, Staraptor, Greninja, and Blaziken

 **Group 7:** Bulbasaur, Egg, Infernape, Popplio, Gliscor, Suicune, Entei, and Raikou

 **Group 8:** Lucario, Servine, Donphan, Torterra, Noivern, Nihilego/Serena, Mallow, and Cynthia

 **Group 9:** Butterfree, Noctowl, Gigalith, Corpish, and (other) Mewtwo

So, comparing to the last list, we're well on the way to everyone being reunited. A lot of teams are on the move, and we're seeing where that leads them. Hopefully, you stick around and see where this all goes.

So yeah, again, thank you for all the support. I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of this chapter, and if you have any ideas you want me to include or that you think I should make use of, feel free to share them with me. I always enjoy interacting with you lot and reading reviews.

Nonetheless, thank you for reading this chapter, much love as always, and see you when I next upload, peace – TWoS.


	31. Chapter 31

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 31**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Arceus closed her eyes as the energy which held her portal opened washed over her body, rippling over her form as she floated through it.

She sighed heavily as she passed through it, knowing that this act alone would cause more contention with the other Legendaries, due to the rules she was breaking. While she may sit comfortably at the top of their pantheon, being both the most powerful and the most respected, there were some rules that applied even to her. Rules which existed in order to keep balance in the universe she created, and not to cause massive disturbances in the fabric of the universe and cause catastrophe.

But, as she knew all too well, she did not take kindly to those rules, and usually did away with them at her leisure, consequences be damned. Most of the time, she got away with it, using her cosmic powers to fix the damage she caused before it could take effect, and with the rest of the Pokémon pantheon ready to fix any issues she missed or overlooked, she could get away with breaking these rules.

Mostly.

Every now and then, she would overstep the line, breaking the rules so obviously and carelessly, that the damage was unavoidable, causing her to expend most of her power in order to fix it, saving the world she painstakingly created and watched over but at a terrible cost. It took her several centuries in order to recover from that, and even to a celestial being, being weakened for that long was not a pleasant experience.

You'd think she'd learn.

But alas, Arceus knew that she was too stubborn to admit these faults, having barely been able to acknowledge them on a personal level. So, as she emerged from the portal, feeling the energy of the portal fade away and leaving her floating at her destination, she couldn't help but dismay at what her actions would cause.

The other Legendaries were not going to be as forgiving for this as they used to be, and with how Giratina had acted behind her back, she expected that it was only a matter of time until someone confronted her directly. And she would have to accept that.

Opening her eyes, she soaked in the sight of a place which brought her much joy, as it served as a reminder of why she did what she chose to, why she would so willingly risk breaking the rules of reality again and again.

For life.

There, in front of her in all its natural beauty, was the restored and revitalised town of Michina… several centuries in the past. It stood strong as a prime centre for trade within the Sinnoh region and would continue to provide food and supplies for the people of Sinnoh all the way to the present, a symbol and a reminder of what could be done when people and Pokémon worked together.

Floating down toward the temple, Arceus scanned the massive structure, which towered over the town along with the cliff face it was built into, and quickly found who she was looking for. On the upmost balcony, watching over the town silently, and most likely planning ahead for its prosperous future, was the one she was looking for.

Damos. Her old friend.

She was glad that Ash had proved his innocence, as she remembered the alternate timeline where she believed him to have betrayed her, and how that had fuelled a fire which refused to die out over time. The fact that he hadn't betrayed her and did everything in his power to keep his promise meant more to the titanic Legendary than he could ever comprehend. But right now, more than anything, she needed his judgement. So, she began to descend to the balcony, waiting to see if he would notice her.

Damos, who was in the middle of grooming a spikey-eared Pikachu, paused in his actions as a shadow loomed over him, a look of confusion lighting up his face before realisation set in. Placing the brush to the side and allowing the Pikachu to run off to play with the other Pokémon, he leaned back in his chair and looked up at Arceus.

"Hello again Arceus. It's so nice to see you." He greeted, waving as Arceus gently placed herself on the ground. She said nothing, which confused Damos, but he carried on regardless.

"I hope you're well? Or as well as a God can be I suppose, whatever that may mean," he mused, pausing briefly to ponder this before waving it off. "We've been well, getting by, day by day. I will admit, things are slightly harder to manage here without both Marcus helping me and the Jewel of Life to directly inject life into the land, but life is full of hardships, and honestly? It's not so bad. Just gives us more incentive to work hard."

Arceus continued to say nothing, simply listening to Damos with a blank look on her face, as she listened to him talk passionately about Michina Town and what had happened since he had last saw her. Which, if she remembered her timeline correctly, had been when Ash had saved her from death at the hands of Damos' traitorous assistant.

Not a great day, if she was to be honest.

"That reminds me, Pichu evolved recently. She was inspired by the Pikachu who came from the future and evolved shortly after. She's been enjoying her new form."

Arceus began to shuffle uncomfortably, as she saw where the conversation was heading, seeing how it would lead to her having to start the discussion she didn't want to have and how she _really_ wished he would talk about something else. Just to give her a little more time.

"But enough about us, what's the issue which brings you here to see me today? I know you're not one for quick visits, or ones without purpose. I imagine you have something you need from me, or along those lines. And, like always, I am more than happy to help, so what do you require?"

Arceus sighed quietly to herself. There it was. He had brought the conversation around to her presence here. He was certainly no fool, knowing that she wouldn't be here without a purpose, and would instantly try to do his best to accommodate her. Such an annoying but humbling quality to see in someone.

Deciding just to bite the proverbial bullet, she took a breath and began to take the first step down the path she dreaded.

" **Damos, my dear friend, I must ask for your judgment on something."**

"Anything, simply say it and I will assist as best I can."

" **Am I a benevolent God?"**

Damos, to his credit, managed to limit his reaction, simply looking slightly taken aback by her question, before he began to bumble an answer.

"I, err, I… don't really know what you mean by that, I'm afraid," he admitted softly, watching as Arceus simply sat down opposite from him.

" **What I mean, is, with what you know about who I am, what I'm capable of, and what I do; would you consider me a kind, or a cruel God?"**

Damos said nothing at first, seemingly considering her words before responding.

"If I may ask, what's brought this on? I did not take you to be the self-reflective type."

" **I am not, but maybe there's a reason for that. Recently, I've been finding that my actions have been… lacking what most would consider a sense of moral right. I have put things into motion in order to try and bring about certain outcomes, ignoring the risks and consequences of those actions, regardless of what they were. And now, with things looking to turn against me, I find myself questioning whether or not this was the right course of action. And, more importantly, whether or not I did them out of malice or evil intent."**

" **I have done many things over several thousand millennia. I have created planes of reality, warded off threats to existence, and maintained the balance of life. And yet, I also destroy. I do things which wreak havoc onto innocents and uproot lives, completely and utterly. I never consider those consequences until they have already become fixtures in the universe. My actions, no matter how I look at them, cannot seem to determine my true morality."**

Arceus paused, turning her body slightly so she could gaze over the balcony to watch the town below.

" **This very town, and our relationship, is proof of that. I gave you a portion of my power, so that you may bring life to this town, as thanks for you saving my life. But then I nearly destroyed the town and brought forth my judgement upon those who did not deserve it for actions I myself did not fully understand or comprehend. Even going so far as to attack my own children in my rage."**

"Now hold on," Damos interrupted, "that's not entirely fair. You _were_ betrayed, seemingly by me, an old friend and someone you trusted. So, it's not as if your actions were born out of pure spite or malice. Simply misplaced aggression. That does not make you cruel."

" **But even still, I should have acted differently. I nearly destroyed this town in a time where the people present barely even remembered you, or the actions they thought you did. I nearly wiped them out due to my** _ **misplaced**_ **aggression. A benevolent God would not act like that."**

Arceus shook her head, looking sadly at Damos.

" **Perhaps I am an aggressor, a destroyer, like the Ultra Beasts claim. After all, it** _ **is**_ **my fault that…"**

But before she could continue, Damos raised his hand, catching her off guard and cutting her from her train of thought. With an annoyed look on his face, Damos simply glared at Arceus while biting the inside of his cheek.

"Enough. I've heard enough. You've come here to hear my judgement? Well, here it is. I don't think you're cruel, just human."

Arceus loudly scoffed at this, almost causing her to outright laugh at the human.

" **Now we both know that's not true."**

"In a physical sense? Obviously. But I'm not talking about that," he said, leaning back into his chair, "I'm talking about how you make mistakes. You may be a very powerful being Arceus, more powerful than I could ever comprehend, that's for sure. But remember this, you're not infallible. You make errors in judgement, get overconfident, lose your temper. **That** , is very human."

Arceus leaned in at this, tilting her head slightly as Damos ran a hand through his hair.

"You hold yourself too highly. You want everything to be perfect but break it further when it isn't. This isn't what makes a cruel God, but rather a well-meaning, but mistake-prone, person. We both know that, despite your errors, you do what you can to get a positive outcome. If that wasn't true, neither of us would be here now to have this discussion."

Arceus made no movement, but in her mind, her thoughts were running non-stop, processing what Damos was saying. He wasn't exactly wrong; she _did_ want to do what was best, and she did make mistakes. Does that make her… _human_ , as Damos put it?

"I don't know what issue you're dealing with, but I can tell you're trying to do it alone and pulling away those capable of helping and, as a result, making things worse. I think you should take counsel with those who can help, inform them of what the situation is, regardless of the potential backlash, and work through the issue. Otherwise, you're simply going to put yourself in a situation where you snap, and I'm sure you want to avoid that."

Finished, Damos took a sip of his drink, waiting to see if Arceus responded. They sat in silence for a moment, before Arceus stood up and began floating, turning to leave before stopping.

" **Thank you for your counsel, I appreciate that I can still turn to you in my time of need."**

Damos simply bowed his head, letting a small smirk slip onto his face.

"Always, my old friend. From now, to the end of my days."

With nothing more to say, Arceus flew off, opening another portal and returning to her time. A time where she could begin to fix the issues she caused, starting with the rift she was creating within her own pantheon.

As she landed back in the present, she was surprised to see both Dialga AND Palkia waiting for her return. And they did not seem happy.

" **Mother. Care to explain why you've ripped open a portal to the past so nonchalantly? And why there was an Ultra Beast incursion that we were not informed about?"** Dialga asked, with Palkia nodding to support Dialga's question silently. But Arceus simply stepped toward them both and raised her head up high.

" **I shall. And before I start, I must say I owe you an apology. I owe EVERYONE an apology. It's time our pantheon knew the** _ **real**_ **situation, and my part in it. It's time for us to deal with the real problem at hand."**

* * *

Ash opened his eyes groggily as he lifted his arms slightly, stretching outwards as he felt consciousness ebb back into him. He felt thrown off at first, expecting to see the same wooden ceiling he had been seeing above his head when he woke up for the past few weeks above him, but instead found that he was looking at a plain white ceiling, reminiscent of his home.

As he dragged his body upward, he took a look around and quickly realised/remembered why it felt like that. He _was_ home. He wasn't at Professor Kukui's home in Alola, he was at his home in Kanto. Which, as he shook his covers off his body and began to climb out of bed, he began to feel instantly.

Arceus, Kanto was cold compared to Alola. Ash didn't remember it being so cold, but after spending several weeks in a tropical region, he guessed that he probably just needed to acclimatise to the local weather again. Like when he came back from Hoenn to Kanto, the difference in temperature had been immediately noticeable.

Deciding that the best way to deal with the chill he was feeling was to get dressed, he dragged himself out of bed and began to shift through his clothes. But as he picked out some clothes, he raised a hand to his shoulder, which felt lighter than usual. When Ash realised why that was the case, and who was missing from his usual morning routine, he sighed to himself. This was the first time in who knew how long since he went through this routine without Pikachu sitting half asleep on his shoulder.

Deciding to focus on the present, he began to select his outfit and grabbed them from his drawers. Pulling out a pair of jeans, a belt, a t-shirt, and a short-sleeved jacket, he began to pull off his pyjamas when he noticed something on his side table next to his bed.

There, sitting next to his lamp, were two new Pokéballs, that he didn't remember placing there the night before. As he picked them up, he couldn't help but notice that they felt... new. If there was one thing that Ash was proud of, it was the fact that he could always recognise his Pokémon's individual Pokéball.

Despite using the same type of Pokéball for the majority of his Pokémon, Ash could always tell them apart. Small details just stuck out to him, which meant that he could tell them apart by the smallest details. Pikachu's, obviously, had the little lightning bolt. Bulbasaur had a blemish that ran across the bottom. Charizard's had a trio of scratch marks from when he had given Charizard the ball to hold. The paint on Squirtle's was beginning to fade, probably due to water damage. Even his newer Pokémon's Pokéballs had identifiable traits, like Rowlet's ball having a slightly dodgy button.

But this ball was brand new, like off the shelf new. Whose ball was this? And to make it even more confusing, there were two balls there. And the other ball looked just as new. As he looked at the ball intently, his eyes widened as he remembered what had happened the night before.

"I caught Mew and an Ultra Beast."

Ash looked at the two balls in shock for a moment, before shrugging and picking the two balls up, walking over to his bag and looking into it. In it, filling the bag to the brim and forcing Ash to empty it of his usual travel stuff that he liked to keep on his, was several dozen Pokéballs. Even when shrunk, they were taking up a fair amount of room. Deciding to deal with the new development later, he threw the two balls into the bag and slung the bag over his shoulder, walking out of his room.

After quickly bidding good morning to his mum, the two professors, and checking in on a still sleeping Anabel (who was sprawled out comically on the couch, limbs strewn out all over the place), before running out to his house's garden, checking in on all his present Pokémon.

As he looked out amongst them, he watched as they went through their usual morning routines. The Tauros herd were mostly grazing, quietly munching on the grass near the edge of the forest. Meganium was checking on all the younger Pokémon that were present, including Mawile, Ralts, Scraggy, and Larvitar (with Larvitar looking rather unimpressed by the motherly behaviour). Heracross was sucking on a bottle of honey that Ash's mother had given him, with Sophocles watching the bug with a morbid curiosity while cradling Togedemaru in his arms.

As they all went about their morning routine, Ash noted to himself that there was no sign of either Mew or the Ultra Beast, which if he remembered correctly, was named Poipole. Deciding that he could look for them later, and with everyone else he wanted to talk to being present, he put his fingers to mouth and whistled, catching everyone's attention.

With the small horde of Pokémon now all looking at him, Ash began to speak.

"Morning everyone. I hope you all had a good night's sleep," he started, getting a mixed murmur as a response. "Well, regardless, I hope you're ready for a long day today because, heh, we've got a lot to do."

Ash took this moment to take his hat off and run his hand through his hair, before carrying on.

"As you know, yesterday was incredibly hectic. We practically fought against an army and now… now we're scattered. I have no idea where anyone is, and quite honestly, they could be anywhere."

Everyone shared a look at this, not used to hearing Ash speak in such a defeated tone, but Ash carried on regardless, picking up energy as he went.

"So today, we're going to find everyone. We're going to find our family, bring them together, and once we're reunited, we're going to deal with the Ultra Beasts; once and for all!" Ash shouted, before pointing at the Tauros herd.

"Tauros. I need you to make a run around Kanto. You lot managed to find two groups of us while travelling through Johto, so I need you to do that for Kanto. If we're lucky, you may find some of us. Try going for places that I've been throughout my journey. If I ended up in the same reserve as Larvitar, and others ended up here, there's a chance that we've all been teleported to places I've been throughout my journey. Find them and bring them back here."

The Tauros herd all shouted in agreement, before storming off toward the main path into and out of Pallet Town. As they ran out, Ash could have sworn he heard all of them singing "HEIGH-HO! HEIGH-HO! IT'S OFF TO WORK WE GO!"

Shrugging at this, Ash turned back toward the group.

"I need all the flyers I've got to head to Kanto airport. Iris has found a few of our family in Unova and is currently on a plane here as we speak. She'll be landing later today, so if we can meet her there, we can bring them here and make sure nothing happens to them." Ash paused for a second before turning to Latios. "Latios, go with them and use your illusion. They'll think you're me and head to you. You can then explain what's going on and bring them here."

Latios nodded, floating up into the air and hovering for a moment while the other flyers pushed off the ground to take flight. He then took off, followed closely by Talonflame, Rowlet, and Heracross, beginning the flight to the region's airport to meet the inbound group.

Satisfied with this, Ash carried on issuing orders.

"The rest of you are going to stay here with me. We're going to make this our base of operations for now until we're in a position to move. Once we have more of our family here, and we've exhausted all our options here, we'll start heading out. To where, I don't know, but we'll figure that out later."

The remaining Pokémon looked at him with looks of surprise and amusement, before Meganium spoke up.

"I'm surprised by how coordinated you're being Ash. What's brought this out?"

Ash simply frowned, hand raising up to his shoulder again.

"I don't like that I don't know where my Pokémon, members of my **family** are right now. So, I'm going to go indoors, and start making some phone calls. Maybe someone else I know has seen some of my Pokémon."

As Ash was talking, a ripple of energy pulsed in the air around them, and suddenly, a small group began to appear out of nowhere, dropping down from the sky with no obvious point of origin.

Multiple people and Pokémon began to fall out of the sky, crashing down into the ground with a thud. Ash spotted Sceptile, Greninja, and Primeape fall into a heap on the ground, only to then get squashed by Snorlax's humungous form.

Ash stood there, his mouth hanging completely open, when a familiar redhead stormed toward him. Ash found that even with his open mouth, he had nothing to say as Misty walked up to him and flung her arms around him.

"Just so we're clear, I'm still mad at you for that stunt in Alola. But I'm glad you're alright Ash."

Ash stood there in shock, watching as the group that had landed from the air began to pick themselves out, and he began to recognise more amongst them, including Lana, Paul, Azelf… and May and Looker?

"What?"

* * *

Lillie couldn't help but moan as she scoped another mouthful into her mouth. This food was delicious!

Now, Lillie wasn't a stranger to great food. She grew up with her mother hiring a chef to cook food for her and her brother, while she spent her time working for the Aether Foundation. While Lillie would have preferred spending her time with her mother, the food she was given had tasted divine. And with Mallow, an aspiring chef who loved to create unique and delicious meals at every opportunity, being one of her best friends who loved to have her taste her food, Lillie rarely ever ate a bad meal.

But this, this was a different kind of delicious. Her chef's food was very high-class, made with quality ingredients and to a high standard. Mallow's food was unique and bursting with flavour, never tasting the same every time she made it. But this… this tasted like home. It wasn't the best food she had ever eaten in her life, but she had never eaten food which made her feel warm inside.

Swallowing her mouthful, she took a moment to look at the group around her. Lorenzo and Bianca had made a massive meal for everyone, and they were now all sitting in the garden enjoying their food. She couldn't but smile at Mewtwo, who was, hesitantly, eating the food and trying his best to remain stoic. But she could see in his eyes that he was enjoying himself.

"Taking another spoonful of food, she went to eat it when a portal opened up in the centre of the garden, near the pond that ran up the middle. As everyone turned to look at the portal, they watched as a few people trudged, rather sluggishly, out of the portal.

"Why am I so tired? It's still daylight." Buizel muttered, as he dragged his feet across the ground.

"It's daylight here, in Johto. Different time zone. We've been at this for a while. That's why I brought us here. Even if there's no one here for us to find, we'll be safe here. We can rest." Pikachu explained, his ears drooping as he walked out of the portal.

As the group stepped out of the portal, they perked up when they saw Lillie and the others all eating in a circle, with piles of food lying around them.

"Oh hey. You wouldn't happened to have any food spare, would you?" Pikachu asked tiredly, before Snowy barged past him, running toward Lillie.

"Snowy!" Lillie screamed, standing up and running over to the ice type and scooping her up in her arms, hugging her with all the strength she could muster.

This day was just getting better and better.

* * *

Misty muttered to herself as the group pushed through some branches and shrubbery, cursing the existence of bug types as she tried to keep an eye out for them.

Once they had patched up May, and gotten her on her feet, they decided that they needed to find a town quickly. While May was back up, she clearly wasn't in a great shape, still looking a little out of it as they trudged through the forest. She needed proper medical attention, and quickly.

So, they had started to make a move, trying their best to try and find some form of civilisation. But as they walked, it became increasingly apparent that they might be walking for a while.

For Arceus' sake, they didn't even know what region they were in, never mind where the nearest town was.

After a few hours of slow trekking, with occasional breaks to allow May to catch her breath, they broke through the forest line, finding themselves at a lake.

The lake was massive, stretching out as far as the eye could see. But Misty, feeling strangely familiar to this place, couldn't help but notice that the lake level didn't reach the top of the bank, seemingly lower than it was meant to be. And out of the corner of her eye, she spotted what seemed to be several trees which were still in a state of healing.

"Wait a minute," Misty muttered to herself, as she began to piece it together, "this is the Lake of Life."

"Where?" Paul asked, as he began to walk to the lake, pulling out a water flask as he did.

"The Lake of Life. I was here a few years ago with Ash. That means we're in Johto, so that's something."

"Lake of Life, huh?" Paul muttered as he stuck his hand in the water. "So, the water's drinkable then?"

" _You better believe it's drinkable. It's some of the best water in the region, if I do say so myself."_ A voice said, causing Paul to jump and drop his flask.

The others, who were just behind Misty, began to walk out and look for the voice, only for the voice's origin to plop herself on Snorlax's head.

" _So… what brings you to my humble abode?"_ Celebi asked, causing Azelf to chuckle to herself and Misty to frown.

"You can talk? This entire time you could talk?" She asked, getting a nod from Celebi. " **Why** did you not talk when we were last here? That would have helped us _so_ much."

Celebi simply shrugged, before floating up and toward May, who was still looking worse for wear.

" _I dunno, didn't need to I guess. It all worked out… my death notwithstanding."_ She said, before tapping May on the head. A ripple pulsed in the air around her, causing the bags that were under her eyes to disappear, the colour in her cheeks to return to a normal colour, and for her pupils to refocus.

" _There we go, good as new. Just took some temporal displacement to fast-forward your body to a point where you're healthy. Nice and easy."_ Celebi muttered to herself, before floating over to Rotom-Dex and observing the, noticeably shocked and quiet, contraption with endless curiosity.

Misty took this chance to walk over to Azelf and lean toward her.

"Was she always like this? I don't remember her being like this."

Azelf simply shrugged, a small smile tugging at her lips.

" _She's a bit odd. Sometimes she barely talks, other times she doesn't stop. She also tends to switch personalities a lot. We've agreed amongst ourselves that her trips through time do more to chance her personality than she likes to admit."_

Celebi took this moment to float over to Azelf, her short arms crossed as she floated in front of the older Legendary.

" _Let me guess, you're here because of Hoopa?"_ She asked, surprisingly Azelf. _"I thought so. I've been told about this from one of my future selves, during a trip to the future; big mess you've gotten involved in."_

"Wait, you've seen the future? Can you tell us how this turns out?" Misty asked suddenly, with Celebi just frowning.

" _I_ _ **can't**_ _, which I hate to admit. I'll change the timeline and get shouted at by my future self. Time travel is a mess, so it's best to leave the paradoxes and loopholes to Dialga. My job is just to make sure things are put into motion and that things are where they're meant to be."_

Before they could ask her to explain herself, she floated over to Looker, who was standing looking shocked at the fact that they were interacting with **another** Legendary.

" _You, officer, what's the time? And how long have you been in this forest?"_

Not knowing how to react, he pulled out a watch and checked, before looking back at the time traveller.

"It's two in the afternoon. And we arrived here yesterday."

Nodding, Celebi zipped off, motioning for everyone to gather around her near the lake bank.

" _Alright, here's the deal. This entire situation is a giant storm of problems. The future of this outcome is in flux because of the sheer amount of power that's involved. Between the entire Pokémon Pantheon, the Ultra Beast forces, other unknown powers, and Ash's sheer dumb luck; the future could have various outcomes. And we need a certain outcome if we want a happy ending. And for that, you're in the wrong place."_

The trees in the forest around them began to glow, growing brighter and brighter as Celebi spoke.

" _I'm sending you through time and space, to get to Ash at a reasonable enough time to help him. He'll need all the help he can get. So, I'm sending you to Pallet Town, at nine in the morning. To prevent a paradox, please avoid coming to Johto until, at least, three in the afternoon. That'll prevent you accidentally meeting your past selves and giving me a headache."_ Celebi explained, as she began to glow herself.

"Wait, why are you doing this? Why aren't you explaining anything?" May asked, being vocal for the first time since they got her out of the Nihilego.

" _I wish I could explain, but that will only make things worse. You just need to know one thing: Ash is the key. He is the only one who can bring about a good conclusion to this. Everyone else will only cause destruction, war, or worse. But he can't do it alone."_

The glow began to spread, basking everyone that was present in the green light as Celebi floated in the centre, before she spoke to all of them.

" _Support him. Bring his family together and muster what strength you can. There are groups at work which conspire against you, so you'll need to be a unit to stand strong. Good luck."_

With a pulse, the entire group disappeared, looking as if they dissolved around Celebi as they were sent back in time, to that morning in Pallet Town. Celebi sighed, feeling slightly exhausted from exerting so much power. She didn't normally have to send people through time, let alone that many. So, she floated down into the water, and let her body float.

She hated being so vague, but the situation called for it. Especially with Azelf there, which only complicated things further. Hopefully, she had done the right thing, but she couldn't be sure. Time was a difficult thing to manage, and there was no such thing as a _secure_ outcome. She could only hope she had set them on the right path.

" _Good luck."_ She said quietly to herself as she floated aimlessly in the water. They would need it.

* * *

Dark.

It was so… dark.

Why was it so dark?

There should be light… where's the light?

No… the light was gone. They remember now. It was taken.

Taken by **her.**

They would make her suffer for that. They would take their light back.

By any means necessary.

* * *

Hey everyone, it's me again.

I'm back for another chapter, and with a bit of an update. I know I've not uploaded for a bit, and that's mostly because I've been dealing with some stuff personally. I've just finished my last deadline for university in the last few weeks, and I'm now officially done with my course. I'm just waiting on my results. So since then, I've been trying to figure out what to do with myself.

But regardless of what I do, I will still be working on this story, so don't worry about that. I can guarantee that, no matter what I do with myself in regard to work and my personal projects, I will upload at least one chapter for this story a month. If I have the time and energy, I may do more, but I promise at least one a month.

But regardless, this chapter was fun. Lots is going on here and will continue to do so for a while. Groups are now rapidly merging, and things are being put into motion. I hope you enjoyed what I've done with this chapter, and if you did, and even more if you didn't, I hope you can tell me why you thought that. I always appreciate hearing from you, especially if it's about what you enjoyed or what you thought I could improve.

As always, thank you so much for the continued support, it means so much to me. You guys are amazing, and your feedback and ideas are things I enjoy hearing. I hope you can continue to enjoy my story, and I hope you enjoy this chapter and what I bring to you in the future.

For now, that's all from me, I hope to see you all when I next upload the next chapter, much love – TWoS.


	32. Chapter 32

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 32**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

"What happened here?"

It was a fair question, as Hau'oli City, the main city on Melemele in Alola, was in complete disarray. Every building was damaged, from broken windows to fractured roads, to gaping holes in buildings sides to debris covering the sidewalk, the place was looking like a war had just happened.

And the townspeople were treating it as such, with the local police force overseeing the distribution of essential items such as food and medical supplies, what with the majority of the shops being forced to temporarily close due to the devastation. Everyone was queuing up in long lines to some tents which had been set up.

There were several construction teams and their Pokémon working hard to clear the debris, shifting the larger pieces of rubble and placing them into the backs of large construction trucks, ready to be shipped off. While everyone looked shaken by whatever catastrophe caused this destruction, they seemed to be doing their best to recover from it as a community.

Or at least, that was what Max thought to himself as he walked through the tattered city, taking in the destruction with an awed look, taken aback from the sheer scale of the damage as his mind tried to process what could have done this.

Now, it wasn't so much that he hadn't ever seen damage like this, far from it. He used to see it more often than he cared to admit, but he usually at the epicentre of the calamity, seeing it first hand and usually being involved with solving the issue. It was almost… disconcerting to be on the other side of the destruction.

But he simply shook his head and brought his hand to his belt to double check for his new Pokéball. He sighed in relief when he found it was still there and rubbed a finger against the smooth surface of the ball lightly as he reminded himself that he was actually a trainer now.

It had been nearly two and a half years since Max had last saw Ash, the trainer who taught him more about being a good Pokémon trainer than he'd care to admit, and he had changed. He had finally started to grow some more, having sprouted up a few more inches since he and Ash last parted ways, and he wanted to see if he was catching up at all to his Kanto friend.

'Not likely,' he grumbled to himself, knowing his luck. Ash wasn't exactly a tall person, but he still always seemed to be a good head or so above Max.

Nevertheless, Max was hoping that he could see Ash again, especially as he was now a trainer as well. He had turned ten earlier in the year and caught his first Pokémon but held off from travelling at first. Having spent so much time with Ash, he knew he had a lot more to learn about Pokémon than what he could ever learn from a book, and he had felt that he needed to take his time before going out into the world. So, after asking his dad to accompany him to pick up an old friend, he got his first Pokémon and began spending time with him.

Now, he had fully acquainted himself with his first partner, and felt ready to go out into the world, and start his own journey. Having heard from his sister May, who still kept regular contact with Ash via letters that she told Max about but refused to let him read ('weird'), that Ash was in Alola, studying in a Pokémon school, Max felt he should say hi to the person who had practically been his mentor.

The fact that Ash was in school was something that surprised Max, but also made him smile. Back when he travelled with Ash, he had often argued with him over how he should use Pokémon in battle and what the best strategy was, leading to the two of them butting heads. But after seeing Ash battle first hand, Max began to appreciate Ash's approach to battling, even if his logic was sometimes questionable. He was undoubtably a naturally skilled and talented trainer.

But he wasn't exactly smart.

Max knew that even Ash would admit that he wasn't the most academically gifted, even when it came to Pokémon. So, him taking the effort to learn about Pokémon theory, something which he undoubtably found boring and difficult to understand? Max was pretty impressed.

Nevertheless, he decided to pop in on Ash, to announce that he was finally starting his journey and to warn him of their upcoming battle once Max had created a suitable team. It was only fair. But when he arrived in Alola and saw the nearest city to Ash in near ruins, he was more surprised at the fact that he was surprised at this.

Ash was just a magnet for disaster.

Regardless, Max traversed through the city as best he could, eventually leaving the sprawling metropolis and walking down a worn dirt path to the beach, one which a local had reassured him would take him to the Pokémon school.

As he passed the beach, he paused for a moment, and decided now was a good time to let his Pokémon out of his Pokéball. He'd probably enjoy these sights as much as he was. Pulling his Pokéball out of his belt and enlarging it, he threw it up in the air, where it burst open with a flash of light, freeing its occupant.

Coming from the light, was a small Pokémon with a white humanoid body, which gave the appearance of the Pokémon the impression of wearing a slightly too large nightgown over its slender body. Its face was mostly obscured, with a green bowl cut and two red horns jutting out of the front and back of its head.

Stretching out his arms, Ralts looked up at Max, smiling before looking out at the beach. They took a moment to take in the gorgeous sight that laid before them. The ocean was tranquil, with only small waves lapping at the shore. It was a gorgeous shade of blue, which Max could see stretch out for miles. And the skies were near empty, save for a few lazy clouds drifting in the distance.

Max smiled as he adjusted his glasses, barely fazed when Ralts started climbing up his body to sit on his shoulder. He hadn't expected Ralts to pick up Pikachu's habit, but he was secretly glad he did. It felt right.

In the water, which was so clear Max could have sworn that he could see the bottom of even from this path, he spotted some of the local Pokémon swimming about, filling him with the same sense of wonder he always had when he saw Pokémon in their natural habitat.

But his Pokémon-gazing was interrupted, when Ralts started lightly slapping him on the side of his head to get his attention, something that he did a lot to snap Max out of his Pokémon watching. Looking at his partner, he watched as he pointed in the distance, trying to highlight something he spotted.

And there, far out in the distance, which Max could barely see when he squinted, was a black shape on the horizon. Max couldn't tell what it was from this far out, but he could tell that whatever it was, it was smoking. Badly.

But as Max was trying to determine what the shape was, it began to dawn on him that the shape was growing larger, and more defined. As he continued to watch, he could tell it was a boat, and that it was heading to their beach. The engine must have been damaged and was speeding toward the shore.

Speeding… towards him.

The realisation came to Max at the last second, as he dived out of the way of the speeding boat, as it hit the sand with force, sending it bouncing into the air and over where Max was standing before crashing back into the ground.

Ralts, having fell off Max's shoulder when he ducked, leapt in front of him and began to charge his psychic energies through his body, ready to attack in case the occupants of the boat were a threat.

Instead of being attacked, a number of exasperated shouts began to sound out from the boat, leaving both Ralts and Max completely confused.

"Why, in Arceus' name, did I think it was a good idea to let SQUIRTLE drive the boat?"

With a grunt and a cry of frustration, a side panel in the boat was knocked off, revealing a dark-skinned teenage boy climbing out, followed shortly by a towering Pokémon that had a spikey shell on its back.

And it didn't stop there, soon, Pokémon of all shapes and sizes began to pour out of the boat, including the aforementioned Squirtle and a… surprisingly familiar Swellow.

Swellow apparently had the same thought when he spotted Ash, as he let out an excited squawk and flew over to Max, wrapping him up in his wings.

"Swellow?" Max asked out loud, which was enough for Ralts to take the cue to power down. Surely this wasn't the same Swellow Ash had, right?

"You know this Swellow kid?" The teen asked, bringing Max's attention back to him, and causing him to pay more attention to his appearance.

The teen was surprisingly tall. And ripped. Something which he could clearly see since the spikey-haired teen with red highlights didn't have a shirt on, for some reason. But what really caught Max's attention was the bracelet on his wrist, and the red gem which sparkled within. Something to ask about later, Max concluded before answering.

"Yeah, I think so. Is this Ash Ketchum's Swellow?" He asked, which caused the teen's eyes to widen at Max.

"You know Ash?" He asked incredulously, catching the attention of the other Pokémon (one of whom was a **LUGIA?!** ) that were present, with two of them, Squirtle and Glalie, finally noticing Max and rushing over to him.

"I guess you could say that." Max said with a chuckle as he greeted the Pokémon he knew, patting and hugging them as best as he could. "I used to travel with him."

The teen rubbed a hand through his hair, and a small smile began to form.

"Well, a friend of Ash's is a friend of mine. I'm Kiawe, and I could do with the extra help."

Eyes lighting up at this, Max finally pieced it together. This was another Ash calamity, and if Max knew Ash's luck, which was terrible, then there were legendary Pokémon involved. Including that Lugia.

It was time to jump back into the adventure.

"What can I do?"

"You know any first aid?" Kiawe asked, as a Garchomp gingerly climbed out of the boat, with a familiar face in his arms.

"Dawn?"

* * *

"I have to admit, this is weird." Talonflame admitted, as he glanced over Latios' disguised form, to which Latios simply shrugged.

" _It does the job we need it to: I look like Ash. Therefore, people will think I'm Ash, including Iris."_ Latios replied, as Rowlet sat contently on his shoulder.

"He may be weird to look at, but his shoulder is just as comfortable." Rowlet muttered, struggling to stifle a yawn once he finished. Something which caused the psychic legendary to chuckle.

The group of four, including Latios, Rowlet, Talonflame, and Heracross, were waiting in Kanto airport, watching the flashing screens for information about the flight they were waiting for. If Iris' plane came without any issues, then she should be landing right about now, and would be here soon enough and spot them.

Speaking of spotting them, Latios was now in his Ash disguise, with the accompanying hat to complete the look. He thought it was surprisingly smart of Ash to have him go to the airport, since that meant Ash could focus on the task back in Pallet Town while he used his disguise to pick up Iris. It was very well thought out and not something he expected from the impulsive, yet brilliant, goofball he proudly called his trainer.

But the longer they waited, the more Latios began to realise that maybe Ash wasn't the only goofball.

" _I must admit, I never thought Ash's Pokémon would be just as… quirky as he was. It's odd that such competent Pokémon were so odd."_ Latios mused out loud, as he looked over at the other Pokémon who were sitting in the chairs next to him.

Heracross, who had been silent up until now, simply chuckled at this as he turned toward the young legendary.

"That's probably Arceus' way of balancing our power. Extremely strong but incredibly goofy. Means we're only using our full potential when the situation is serious." Heracross said with a wave of his hand, which earned a nod from the others as they listened to his theory.

Made more sense than some of the stuff they had dealt with in the last twenty-four hours.

With nothing more to add, Talonflame changed the subject.

"Have any of you actually _met_ Iris?"

A round of negatives were sounded out, as the group denied ever meeting the Unova native.

" _I was dead when Ash met her."_

"I've seen her over the video-phone, never in person."

"I only started meeting Ash's friends from other regions this weekend, not including her."

Talonflame nodded sagely at this.

"Well then, I guess this will be a learning experience for us."

Smiling at Talonflame, Latios allowed his gaze to wander over the space they were in, as he watched the people and Pokémon who were all bustling about through the airport. Latios wasn't one to care much about random people's lives, that was something which his sister enjoyed more. But sitting here, watching people interact with one another, being with the world?

Well, maybe Latias had the right idea to be curious.

As Latios watched the crowd ebb and flow through the space around them, Latios began to notice that _some_ of the people didn't belong.

Most of the people in this space looked like they were travelling, carrying bags or suitcases as they either exited or entered the gates which led to various planes. And the clothes they were wearing reflected where they were coming or going from. Some people were wearing shirts and shorts, having come from a hot region, while some were wearing heavier clothing for a colder climate. And even those who were walking into the airport were wearing appropriate clothing for the Kanto weather.

However, there was one person who lacked all of this, wearing what seemed to be modified nurse's uniforms, being bright white and with large pockets which stuck out of the outfit. The man who was wearing them did not look like he belonged.

Something which made this individual extra conspicuous to Latios' eye, was the fact that he lacked _any_ form of luggage. Everyone else had varying sizes of bags or suitcases, but they **all** had them. This man didn't have anything, not even a backpack.

And to top it all off, he seemed to be trying to deliberate avoid Latios' sight, while also staring intently at him.

Not good.

" _Eyes up, I think we have trouble."_ Latios said, this time making a point of keeping his psychic speech limited to just his companions, so others couldn't hear him. Instantly responding, the others began to look around, spotting what Latios did quite quickly.

And more.

"One behind us." Talonflame whispered, not turning around. None of them, they trusted his word, and they didn't want to alert these guys that they knew they were being watched.

"Two on our left." Heracross added, causing Latios to tense involuntarily. They were being surrounded.

"Three more at the kiosk." Rowlet said, being more awake at this moment than Latios had ever seen him.

Heracross might have been onto something, since this looked like it was going to turn very serious, very quickly.

" _Any ideas who these guys are?"_ Latios asked, which Rowlet hesitantly nodded at.

"I think I recognise them, but I can't put my finger on it."

Latios simply stood up, pushing himself up from the chair slowly as to not look suspicious.

" _Then save it, focus on the now. We need to get out of here before a fight breaks out."_ Latios ordered, which the others silently agreed with.

But it didn't look like they were going to have much luck, since Latios' standing up had caused the people surrounding them to start closing in.

They were in for a battle alright. Question was, how were they going to get out of it.

"Stay in disguise Latios. So far as we know, these guys are after Ash. Last thing we need is to make them realise that they have the chance to bag a Legendary." Talonflame said to Latios, which Latios acknowledged with a mental message. They didn't need to escalate the situation further.

The first man which Latios spotted suddenly pulled out a Pokéball, and threw it with a practiced ease, the Pokémon within leaping out, revealing a towering Magmortar.

The Magmortar, now free to wreak havoc, raised both of its arms and fired a twin burst of Fire Blast, aimed right at Latios. But before it could hit, Talonflame flew into action, firing back a Razor Wind which crashed into the two fire attacks, causing them to explode a safe distance away from the group.

The explosion caused the crowd which had been walking around Latios and the others to disperse, panicked screaming now filling the air. The other people in the strange uniforms took this as a cue to jump in, pulling out Pokéballs and weighing into the fight.

Heracross and Rowlet jumped into action, flying into the air and firing out attacks left and right, while Talonflame flew forward toward the Magmortar, cloaked in a bright light and with a fire in his eye. He crashed into Magmortar with his Brave Bird, bowling over the tall Fire Type and sending him crashing into a pillar, which cracked from the force.

Satisfied, Talonflame peeled off, looking for another target.

Latios dived behind a line of chairs, trying his best to keep the illusion up despite how much it frustrated him to. He wanted to get involved and help, but he didn't want to risk exposing himself. They'd probably redouble their efforts if they knew there was a Legendary present, something they could deal without.

To the other's credit, they were putting up an amazing fight. Despite the three of them being massively outnumbered, they were running circles around these would-be attackers. They may have had imposing Pokémon, but they were not battlers by any stretch.

However, they still outnumbered his allies, and soon they were boxed in, with all exits blocked off.

They were trapped.

As Latios ran through the possible ways they could escape, including just dropping his disguise entirely and shooting off like a jet with the others in-tow, the lead man spoke, grabbing his attention.

"Ash Ketchum. We stand before you representing the Aether Foundation. You have recently interacted with Ultra Beasts, and our president would like to have a word with you."

Latios frowned at this, and almost scoffed out loud at the man's suggestion. Have a word? After being attacked and surrounded in an airport? Because that was definitely the best way to ask someone nicely for a pleasant chat, now wasn't it?

The others seemed to share Latios' sentiments, as they simply began charging up more attacks. Which seemed to frustrate the man somewhat.

Good.

"Failure to come willingly, will force us to take you back to Alola with force. And clearly, you're lacking the proper means to do so, what with your Pokémon being spread across the regions as they have."

This caught Latios' attention. How did they know about Ash's Pokémon being teleported? For that matter, how did they know about the Ultra Beasts?

'Those questions will have to wait,' Latios thought to himself, as he prepared to drop his disguise. Looks like they needed to fight their way out.

The man released another Pokémon, this one a hunched over Electivire, who began charging up electricity for an attack the moment the light form the Pokéball faded away.

"Looks like you're out of options, _Chosen One."_ The man said, the venom dripping off his words when he used the term 'Chosen One', which Latios seethed at. How **dare** he desecrate that sacred term?

"Knock them out."

As the Electivire began to raise its fists to fire a Thunderbolt, a hail of stones smashed into Electivire, knocking the Electric type over and leaving his body hunched over on the ground.

Before the man and his accomplices could react, several large Pokémon crashed into theirs, with Latios recognising a Dragonite and an Excadrill being the ones who were providing the muscle.

Suddenly, a roar echoed out, drawing everyone's attention, and everyone, even Latios, gasped when they saw a familiar Fire Type.

"If anyone wants to pick on my trainer, they go through **ME!"** Charizard roared out, firing a Flamethrower into the air for emphasis, as Krookodile, Muk, Dewott, and Eevee formed up a line beside him, with a girl with outrageously large hair walking up beside them.

"To translate for the big guy," the girl shouted at the humans, "he's basically saying you messed with the wrong guy."

The man who was leading the group, who were apparently from someone called the Aether Foundation, Latios noted to himself, grumbled under his breath, signalled at his people, which led to all of them recalling their Pokémon and beginning to run for it.

The battle was won… for now.

Before Latios could calm down, he jumped when he felt someone punch his arm.

"You knucklehead! Can't even meet me at the airport without everything becoming a hassle. How you managed the last year and a bit without me _genuinely_ baffles me." Iris shouted, causing Latios to look at her curiously.

Apparently, his friends were odd as well.

Ignoring this, Latios finally dropped his disguise, wrapping his arms around Iris, which got a whistle out of Charizard.

"Damn, I couldn't even tell that you weren't Ash. Nice job." Charizard congratulated, while Iris stood there with an open mouth.

"La, la, Latios…" she mumbled, struggling to get words out of her mouth. Something which greatly amused Latios.

" _It's nice to meet you too Iris."_

* * *

Steven sighed as he stepped out of the shower, feeling bliss as he dried himself off. Nothing like a good rinse and wash to get rid of the day's stresses.

Steven was very busy these days, torn between his research into Mega Evolution and his duties as a Champion. While he had accepted the position reluctantly after Wallace had stepped down to return to his position as Gym Leader, he couldn't help but enjoy the perks the position gave him. Unrestricted access to the region's resources and research, support from Hoenn's Elite Four and Gym leaders, as well as being on a first name basis with lots of influential people from other regions.

Not a bad deal for having to deal with the occasional battle and some paperwork, in Steven's opinion.

Today was a relatively simple day, with their only being only one major issue for the region which he had to deal with. A school of Gyarados had accidentally gotten in the way of a trading route between Dewford Town and Slateport and were causing trouble. Steven had to step in and help to calm them down, with a few well-placed Thunderbolts, courtesy of Metagross.

With that dealt with, Steven was left to file through the mountains of paperwork that he always had. Some were research papers that his peers had sent to him to read over and proof read, something which he enjoyed doing while eating, and lots of approval forms and updates on regional activities which fell under his jurisdiction.

With a sizeable amount of paperwork dealt with, Steven had called it a day, ordering himself a pizza before jumping into the shower. Nothing like some fast food to take your mind off paperwork.

As Steven finished getting dressed in his overalls for the night, the doorbell to his house rang. Figuring that it was just the pizza delivery people, Steven walked over to the door and pulled it open without thinking to check through the spyglass.

He wasn't expecting the other side of the door to reveal a man and a woman in green suits and sunglasses (despite it being nearly midnight, mind you), one of whom was standing there holding a tablet as if he was passing a leaflet to Steven, and the other holding… his pizza?

"Champion Stone, good evening. We're sorry to intrude on you in your home like this, but the situation is rather dire. May we come in?" The male asked, as he held the pizza forward slightly, putting it just close enough to allow Steven to smell it.

Arceus, he was hungry.

"Before I do, may I ask who you are? I'm not one to normally allow company round, much less if I have no idea who they are or what they want." Steven responded, hand sliding into his pocket where Claydol's Pokéball was. While Metagross was his go-to choice for a battler, his Pokéball was on Steven's desk, so Steven was just glad to have even a **single** Pokémon on hand.

As it turns out, he wouldn't need it, as the woman's response revealed.

"Myself and my colleague here are representatives of the ICOP agency, and we're here to recruit your services in order to save the lives of many individuals, primarily one Ash Ketchum."

Steven starred at them for a moment, before taking the pizza off them and walking into his living room.

"Come in." He said as he picked a slice of pizza from the box, expecting a full explanation from the pair. Looks like he wouldn't be getting an early night, that was for sure.

* * *

Giovanni rubbed his temple while he filled through the latest number of reports that had been handed to him by his assistant in his office in Viridian city, a city he never left.

He may have abandoned his role as Gym leader, but he never left the city completely. Better to hide in plain sight than move a massive organisation and draw attention to themselves.

The reports in question that he was reading were causing a vein in his head to throb as he read through them, causing him to sigh with disbelief.

Where **all** of his agent's incompetent, or where the few incompetent ones simply _that_ capable of drawing his attention?

In his hands were several reports about failed operations ran by his agents and, much to his chagrin, he couldn't entirely place the blame of the trio of idiots he normally did. While a fair few of the reports were from them, they had apparently secured a few rare Pokémon from the far-flung Alola region and were keeping close tabs on the Ketchum boy.

Which meant they were actually being somewhat capable.

Thinking of them gave Giovanni a headache, causing him to put down the paperwork and walk over to his window for some air. While that trio had certainly caused him a number of headaches over the years, and costed him _so_ much money (seriously, the rate at which they blew through their budget, it was like they were spending it on advanced robotics), they were at least keeping an eye on the Chosen One.

Which was someone he was particularly keen on monitoring.

After the Shamouti incident, the trio had sent in a report stating that the boy they had spent the last year tailing for his Pikachu had been ordained as some kind of _Chosen One,_ by a prophecy which involved the Legendary Bird Trio and Lugia. At first, Giovanni dismissed it, but then he started to read through the papers shortly after the event had happened, and he couldn't help but notice something.

Information was being withheld about the incident.

Giovanni recognised the signs instantly: the absence of any names; including that of the one who caused the incident, vague descriptions of how it was wrapped up, and the constant reminders about how everything was fine _now_. Someone was trying to keep the details of the event under wraps, which only fuelled Giovanni's curiosity.

Using the report from the bumbling trio as a guide, he sent some of his more competent agents to investigate and managed to unearth some very interesting information. Primarily, the fact that Ash Ketchum, a boy from Pallet Town with a somewhat stronger than average Pikachu, was the Chosen One.

At first, Giovanni was willing to blow the whole thing off after he had found that out. After all, the boy's job was to save the world from the Shamouti incident, and he had done an admirable job. A part of Giovanni even felt grateful toward him. But that changed when he popped up again, this time standing in-between himself and Mewtwo.

That was a headache in and of itself, especially with the fact that he now had to act as if he didn't know about Mewtwo's existence. When Mewtwo had wiped his memory that day, he had failed to consider the fact that there were other agents and officials in Team Rocket who knew of his existence, and with them pressing to know about what happened, the buried memories came back to light, allowing Giovanni to consider the situation and its ramifications.

The fact that Mewtwo could not only wipe memories but move entire geographical fixtures at will was troubling enough information, but the presence of the Chosen One made things even more complicated. It would seem, that he had a potential adversary.

But he didn't act on it, instead choosing to keep a close eye on the boy, watching as he developed and grew, and he began to marvel at what he accomplished. Completely by accident, the boy seemed to be saving the world wherever he went, and he was even instrumental in taking down rival organisations.

This was not someone Giovanni wanted to cross. He had made that mistake once.

Which was why he allowed the trio to keep harassing him. Apart from a few other rare occurrences, the Chosen One's opinion of his organisation was based entirely around _these three_ : meaning that he thought they were little more than an annoyance. This was something Giovanni was willing to accept. If he thought of Team Rocket as only a nuisance rather than a threat, he wouldn't feel the need to try and shut the organisation down: giving Giovanni free reign to continue running his business.

But, just to be safe, he also had the trio send him regular updates on his activities, allowing Giovanni to know when to avoid him. He had kept his distance until he decided to make a move in Unova, taking control of the Legendary Forces of Nature. This was when he truly learned that Ash was a force to be reckoned with, as he dismantled his plans with ease, despite having the backing of multiple Legendaries.

Due to being defeated there, Team Rocket went back to being a minor nuisance on the Chosen One's radar, and Giovanni now knew that if he ever wanted to try something like that again, he would need to be much better prepared.

So, for now, he would wait, and watch. And when the opportunity revealed itself, he would act.

As he stood at the window, which overlooked Viridian City, he listened to the news channel, which was spouting some interesting events which had happened in Alola.

"And Melemele Island is still reeling from the massive attack that happened here yesterday, with Hau'oli City being heavily damaged in the conflict. No one seems to know what the Pokémon that caused the attack were yet, being of an unknown variation and strength. We would normally ask our local Professor, Professor Kukui, but he, as well as a class of students from the Pokémon school, have gone missing."

This caused Giovanni to frown, as he knew which class they were referring to: the one with that annoying Chosen One in it. What were these Pokémon that attacked him? And were they worth anything?

As he mused this, he spotted a large herd of Tauros stampeding through the town, causing chaos as people dived out of the way of the speeding herd of muscle and fur. Giovanni recognised it instantly, having been sent multiple photos of Ash's Pokémon over the years.

Weren't his Tauros herd meant to be in Alola with him at the moment? That was what the report he had gotten from the bumbling trio on Sunday morning had stated. What were they doing here?

His interest piqued, he walked back to his desk and pressed a button to turn on his intercom.

"Venessa, do me a favour and have some agents track that Tauros herd for me. I want to know what they're doing and where they're heading. Thank you."

Sitting back down, Giovanni began to smile. He could feel an opportunity beginning to form, and he would be ready to act on it the _moment_ it presented itself. You could count on that.

* * *

Hey everyone, it's me again with another chapter.

I didn't expect this chapter to be done so quickly, but I actually really enjoyed writing this chapter. Compared to some of the last chapters, this one just seemed to come to me quite easily. There are only four main segments this chapter, all of which weren't meant to be as long as they ended up being. I'm very happy with how they turned out, but what I had planned in my head were much shorter and simpler. I was even planning more segments for this chapter because of how short they were gonna be, so I had to cut them out. They'll be in the next chapter though, don't worry.

But yeah, a lot of interesting stuff happened this chapter. Max has been introduced, and he's officially a trainer now! Yay! He's now in the story and actively involved. How much of a role do you all think he's going to play? What do you think? Let me know.

Latios and his small group have met up with Iris at the airport, and it would seem the Aether Foundation is more far reaching than we thought. What does this mean for Ash and his friends? And what will Iris do once she finds out that Ash has not one, but **two** Legendary dragons as his Pokémon?

Steven has now been recruited by ICOP, which brings the number of Champions backing them up to two. How many will join their ranks, and how will their influence play in the long run when backing up this organisation? And more importantly, will Steven get to enjoy his pizza?

And finally, Giovanni enters the playing field. **The** big bad of Pokémon is here and is now beginning to pay attention to what's going on. What will this mean for everyone involved, and will Team Rocket prove to be a big nuisance? Or will they be one of the bigger threats present?

One thing is for sure; Ash better enjoy the peace he has now, because it's not going to last for long.

Also, this story just recently hit **1,800** favourites, which is insane. It's insane to me that 1,800 people have read my story, never mind like it enough to favourite it. So, thank you all for that, it's mental but I love you for it. As always, please leave me a review letting me know what you thought about this chapter, because I love interacting with you lot and finding out what you think about my work.

That's all from me for this chapter, I'll see you when I next upload and as always, much love for all the support you've been giving me – TWoS.


	33. Chapter 33

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 33**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Lucario raised a paw over his eyes, blocking out the setting sun as they walked out of the Ruins, emerging in a small town.

Having followed an infuriated and determined Cynthia, Lucario and his fellowship of misfits had quickly managed to scale through the Ruins. Mallow, being somewhat more inquisitive and more capable of asking questions than the others in their group, what with them being Pokémon and all, had taken up the mantle of being the one to question Cynthia about their situation: something that, in all honesty, Lucario should have already thought of to do.

In his defence, he had only been resurrected that morning.

And as the sun began to set behind Mount Coronet in Sinnoh, Lucario began to consider the implications of this. He had died, in a literal sense. When he had been sealed within the staff, he at least knew that, while he had been temporally displaced, he hadn't actually lost his life. But now, he had passed beyond the aether, into the plane beyond the living realm. And he had come back.

So what did that make him?

Lucario was drawn from his pensive thoughts by a nudge on his arm, as he focused in on whoever was trying to gain his attention. Turning his head, he wasn't surprised at the fact that it was one of the grass types seeking his attention, but he _was_ surprised at which grass type it was.

"Are you alright Lucario?" Torterra asked gently, slowly dragging his large body forward as he kept pace with Lucario's slow walk. Lucario, in response, simply tilted his head, causing his left ear to droop slightly.

"Of course," Lucario replied curtly, "why would I not be?"

Torterra seemed to casually brush off Lucario's response, beginning to stare intently at the ancient warrior.

"Many reasons spring to mind, most to do with the fact that you were dead this morning." Torterra said, giving Lucario a curious side-eye. "For most, that would be a good reason to have a mental breakdown."

Lucario couldn't stop himself from snorting, and instead of allowing the flush of embarrassment to show itself, he decided to run with it, and responded in kind.

"Me, have a mental breakdown? Please, I am a warrior representing the Kingdom of Rota, and am a student of Sir Aaron. My mental fortitude is unbreakable, and I am not susceptible to mental breakdowns." Lucario stated, which Torterra **openly** chuckled at.

"You realise you're talking to someone who has interacted with _multiple_ Legendaries, right? I've dealt with literal gods, and most of them have the mental capacities of developing children. A recently resurrected warrior who, physically, was in a war only a week ago and has been displaced in time _twice_ and has had to deal with strange reveals and challenging battles, all with next to no time to adjust or cope? If anyone in our strange little family is going to have some form of mental breakdown, which has happened already, by the way, it would be you."

Lucario stared blankly at Torterra, feeling breathless as he continued to listen to Torterra's assessment. As the implications of what was being set began to form in Lucario's mind, Torterra pressed on.

"I know Latios is dealing with something similar, having been dead for over three years. But from the moment you two were brought back, from your reactions, I could tell that you weren't going to process it as well. Latios, straight away, began dealing with the fact that he had literally died. He doubted himself, questioned it, and then realised the truth in those first few moments of being back. I could see in his eyes as he was looking at his claws."

Torterra stopped for a moment, sighing sadly before turning his attention back to Lucario.

"But he dealt with it and seeing Ash and his sister helped him to come to terms with what happened. You however, did not. You simply pushed it aside, burying it deep within yourself in favour of focusing on the task on hand. You brushed it off at every occasion, even jesting about it. I don't know whether that was you trying to cope or a habit of an old soldier. I don't know."

Torterra then paused, Lucario stopping alongside him.

"Either way, it's easy to tell you're not coping as well as you want us to think."

Lucario said nothing at first, turning to look at the others of their party. Mallow was still intensely questioning Cynthia, who was answering as best she could while still marching to wherever it was she was leading them. The other Pokémon were following the two humans, walking several meters in front of himself and the large grass type. The only exception was the Ultra Beast, who was lingering off to the side, keeping distance from all of them equally, which Lucario was still cautious of.

The main thing he could tell, thankfully, was that none of them had overheard their conversation.

"You're much wiser than appearances would suggest. Why do you bring this up now, when we're dealing with a situation that supersedes my own personal needs and well-being?" Lucario asked passively, deciding to level with Torterra.

"Because we need you at your best." Torterra replied. "With everything going on, especially considering that we're in a region that Ash hasn't been in for about two years, and we have a creature who, based on every experience I've had in my life, should not and _cannot_ be trusted amongst us. So, we can't afford to have one of our better fighters be mentally compromised."

Torterra looked ahead at the group, noticing that they had arrived at a house, and that Cynthia was now beginning to usher them inside. So, he decided to quickly wrap up his point.

"Listen, the group we have is very mixed, not counting the Champion. Donphan and Noivern are both talented, both they're much younger than most of us. Servine is more mature than those two, but isn't the most capable of leading a group, least of all in a battle. She's much better as a support, something which she will gladly acknowledge. Mallow, as much as she is surely a capable trainer, as a friend of Ash usually is, currently has _no_ Pokémon of her own to back her up. Leaving us two as the most experienced ones here. And let's face it, they're more likely to turn to you."

"So, I just wanted to say, if you need any help, feel free to ask me. I won't judge, and I'm happy to help. If we're going to do this, then we need to work together."

Lucario stood there for a moment, utterly gobsmacked and speechless at what had just been said. But he couldn't help but smile, and soon placed a paw on Torterra's shell in a friendly matter.

"I appreciate the sentiment. You're right, I'm not dealing with this as well as I'd like. But for now, I will have to endure it, until the task at hand is done. But I can rest easier knowing I have your support backing me." Lucario said with a smile, before starting to walk toward the house. He then stopped, turning back toward Torterra.

"And don't be so quick to discredit yourself. They may turn to me as the most experienced warrior, but you are the one they turn to for help before me. Remember that."

He then went to walk inside, leaving Torterra standing there, in a brief moment of shock and surprise.

* * *

Servine stood there, holding the door open as Lucario and Torterra trailed in, having been lagging behind the group while Cynthia led them to what, she assumed, was her house. The two both had rather… pensive looks on their faces, both holding their tongues for seemingly different reasons.

But Servine knew that there was a lot going on, and now with the implication that the Champion of an entire region is apparently being kept in the dark, the fact that they potentially dealing with some personal stuff right now wasn't that unexpected. It was annoying, but definitely something that can be deal with.

Later at least.

For now, Servine just wanted to focus on the task at hand, which included watching a somewhat ditzy blonde champion digging desperately through a large stack of paperwork, with the champion muttering curses under her breath as she did.

However, as Servine shut the door behind her, and began to walk away, a knock echoed out, catching the attention of everyone in the room. Lucario had already drawn his Metal Claws, and Cynthia's Garchomp had jumped above the door frame, clinging to the wall and waiting to drop down on any intruder.

Mallow took cover behind a desk, with Noivern jumping onto the same desk to protect her. Everyone else formed a curved line around the door, ready to strike, as Cynthia brushed her coat off to get rid of the small layer of dust.

With her appearance somewhat fixed, Cynthia strolled confidently toward the door, opening it calmly only to mildly gasp when she saw who was at the door.

Servine, who had been charging up a Vine Whip, peered around her to see who was at the door, and was surprised at what she saw. Internally, she had been somewhat expecting some grunts of an evil organisation to be jumping at the chance to get revenge on Ash. She had no real evidence to support that, but it's happened before.

Instead, standing at the door with a strange aura of confidence and mystery, with the majority of his body being covered in a stylised red cloak, hiding both his upper body and torso with ease. He also seemed to be wearing some kind of uniform underneath, based on his well-pressed trousers that she could see. And with his head, the only thing Servine could really focus on was the long flowing hair that he apparently had in abundance.

The man in front of them was bizarre to Servine, but she couldn't help but feel like she had seen, or at the very least heard, of someone matching this description.

Fortunately, Cynthia directly recognised this man, and could put a name to his face.

"Tobias? What are you doing here?"

Tobias, who Servine finally recognised as the man who had used a pair of Legendaries to defeat Ash back in the Sinnoh league, simply nodded at Cynthia before flipping open his cape, revealing that he was holding what seemed to be a badge.

"Agent Tobias, representative of the ICOP Agency. I'm sorry to intrude on you in your home this evening, but we require your assistance."

* * *

Pikachu sighed as he patted his belly, feeling very full and very satisfied for the first time since he had woken up that morning.

Having taken a risk in teleporting to Latias' Secret Garden, Pikachu was glad to see that it had paid off in the best of ways, having found more members of their family here and added to their growing group. In time, they could manage to find and reunite everyone in their family, and then begin their preparation for what to do next about the Ultra Beast problem.

With his thoughts drifting to the Ultra Beast, Pikachu could feel his mood souring. There had been a lot of revelations today, and he had a feeling that there were going to be more reveals soon. He could feel it in his tail. And chances were, he was going to end up feeling frustrated with the Legendaries.

Giratina's words were sticking out in Pikachu's memory, especially with the fact that he had said that Arceus was involved in some form with the Ultra Beasts. Pikachu didn't know what he meant by that, but every scenario that had ran through Pikachu's head about how she was involved only made him feel more frustrated. He didn't like being left in the dark like this.

Pikachu scanned over the group surrounding him as he did a quick headcount. There were a lot of Pokémon here, and each and every one of them being capable in some form. Some more so than others. Which led him to the one he was focusing on now.

Mewtwo.

Barring his arrival that morning, Pikachu hadn't seen the errant Legendary since Johto. While they had seen a Mewtwo in Unova, Pikachu knew that wasn't the same Mewtwo they had met prior. Ash didn't have a clue, but when did he ever.

Pikachu loved him like a brother, but good Arceus he wasn't the brightest Voltorb out there.

But with what was going on, Pikachu knew he needed to talk it out with someone who had a completely different perspective and viewpoint to his own, and the only one here who fit that bill presently was him.

Which meant he was going to have a chat with the recluse.

Rocking himself onto his paws, Pikachu began strolling past everyone to get to him. He walked past Lillie and Snowy, who were in the middle of having an intense and emotional bonding session. He then walked past Latias and Espeon, with the latter practically gushing over the Psychic Dragon, with said Psychic Dragon beaming at the praise and attention that she was getting.

Pikachu eventually got to the tall Psychic, who was in the middle of conversing over tea, and slapped his tail, gaining his attention rather quickly.

"May I have a word?" Pikachu asked, before walking away from the set-up table, knowing full-well that he'd follow.

Sure enough, after walking far enough away that no-one else could hear them, Pikachu turned back around, seeing the, now annoyed looking, Psychic floating next to him patiently.

" _Can I help you? That was rather rude what you did."_ Mewtwo stated, which Pikachu decided, for the sake of time, to completely ignore.

"We're in trouble Mewtwo, and we need to plan." Pikachu started, catching him off guard as he took a double take.

" _I… what?"_

"We were completely blindsided this morning, and despite hitting them with everything we had, we only got out of there due to, what I can only describe as **shenanigans**. And that's _after_ we got multiple new members to our family, several evolutions, about half a dozen (at least) Mega Evolutions, and I personally got a power-up with which I was able to blindside a Legendary with my new strength. All of that, including you backing us up, and we barely got out of there. And that _terrifies_ me." Pikachu explained, sighing heavily as he finished, which led to Mewtwo starring at him while scratching his chin in thought.

" _I see. I hadn't considered that. I had been preoccupied with recuperating and recovering from this morning's events, that the challenges we encountered had been overlooked. Worrisome, worrisome indeed."_ Mewtwo added, turning in the air as he began to float off, approaching the small pond that laid in the middle of the garden. Pikachu, unbothered by his comment, simply plodded back alongside him.

"Yeah, it's been bothering me for a while. I've not given it too much thought, but we can't afford to be caught off guard like that, we need to be better prepared. Which is what I wanted to talk to you about."

Mewtwo gazed over the small mouse, an intrigued look lurking within his eyes.

" _Oh, and how do you plan to do that?"_ Pikachu could only smile in response.

"The only way I, and everyone in my family know how: train."

Mewtwo smirked at this, when suddenly his attention was drawn behind him, when he felt a presence appear behind him. As he turned on the spot, he was surprised to see the girl, Lillie, standing there with resolve in her eyes, a fire burning deep within them, and her small Snowy standing beside her, looking just as determined.

"I, I, I want to help." She stuttered out, her words failing her but her resolve standing out all the same.

Mewtwo and Pikachu shared a look, before turning back to Lillie. They were quiet for a moment before Pikachu commented.

"Are you sure you really want to do this Lillie? This is dangerous, and if you choose to fight, you'll be on the frontline." He said in warning, with Lillie just starring at him blankly. He stared back for a moment before realisation set-in.

"You can't understand me, right. Only two days of Ash being able to do that, and I've been spoilt." He mumbled to himself, before turning to Mewtwo. "Could you repeat that for me please?"

Mewtwo simply nodded, before turning to Lillie.

" _He says, 'Are you sure of your commitment?' and it is a fair question. I wholeheartedly admire your admiration of trying to fight for your friend, I really do. But you've seen what this fight entails, and the potential outcomes. And you are a kind soul; not the sort that thrive in the crucible of fire that is combat."_ Mewtwo said, placing a hand on Lillie's shoulder compassionately, trying his best to keep his voice light and gentle, with mixed success.

But Lillie stared him down, the fire in her eyes never faltering or wavering. She was resolute, down to her very core.

"I've spoken to Snowy about it, and while I don't understand her like you or Ash can, we've come to an agreement: we want to help. If you're going to train for a fight against the Ultra Beasts, we want in."

Pikachu looked at her, and then at Snowy, who simply nodded at him, confirming that she shared the same resolve as her mother. Pikachu then looked behind her, looking at the rest of their party, who had gathered round the three of them, listening in on their conversation with rapt curiosity.

Pikachu looked the pair over, before a small smile began to form on his face. He then turned to Mewtwo, who seemed to be waiting for some kind of response from him, almost appraising the Electric type silently. To which, Pikachu simply nodded.

" _Well then, it seems you've been recruited to the cause young Lillie. Welcome to Ash's private little army, may it ever stay humble and honest."_ Mewtwo intoned, causing a shiver to shoot down the spines of nearly all present, Lillie included. Pikachu simply smiled.

"Well then Mewtwo, it seems we've got even more reason to find Ash. Tell everyone to rest up and prepare for travel in the morning. We'll find Ash, every member of our family, and begin to train for a show down with those damn Ultra Beasts." Pikachu ordered, slipping into his usual leadership role that came with being Ash's first Pokémon, before looking Snowy over.

"And who knows, we may even be able to give little Snowy and Lillie a slight boost."

* * *

Sitting alone in the forest, was a lone figure, enjoying the simple pleasures of the sun and a nice book, which the figure was immensely invested in.

"Mega Evolution, a power only achievable with a strong bond between man and Pokémon. How fascinating." The figure muttered aloud, flipping over a page in the book, which was titled 'A history of Mega Evolution as we currently understand, a summary by Professor Augustine Sycamore.'

The figure, a gangly man, with long and wild green hair, styled in a similar matter to the Dark type Pokémon Zoroark, wearing a simple hat to contain it to some extent. To add to his outfit, he wore a simple white shirt and a pair of grey trousers, which had the slight wear and tear on them that would be expected from someone who lived primarily in the forest.

The man in question was completely engrossed in his book, only taken out from it when a gust of wind blew through the clearing where he sat, causing him to lose his page, something which greatly annoyed him.

Looking upward, he watched as a great shape descended, briefly blocking the light in front of him as it landed.

"Really Reshiram, must you be so theatrical with your landing? I know it's unnecessary, so why do it?" He asked, causing the mighty Dragon of Truth to huff in annoyance.

"If you must know, it was to gain your attention. I know what you're like when you get invested in your readings." He replied, causing the man to nod in appreciating before placing the book down next to him.

"So, for what reason have you come here today? I thought you would be preoccupied with that Legendary matter you mentioned a few days for at least the next week. Or so I believed." The Dragon simply bowed his head, as he looked at the adult before him.

"Well yes, but in truth, that is why I wanted to come here first. My matter involves a mutual friend of ours, a certain Ash Ketchum." The dragon said, causing the man's head to spring up, rapt with curiosity.

"We've been tasked with rewarding him, for his many heroic actions across the years and regions. And having been privy to these actions, I thought you would appreciate the opportunity to join me in visiting him, and perhaps contributing yourself, N."

N stared at the dragon, before turning to the forest line surrounding the clearing. He then whistled, the sound echoing out through the thick line of trees. A moment of silence followed it, before a small black Pokémon appeared from the forest, running up in front of N.

"How would you like to join in the adventures of a trainer who truly cares for Pokémon, my curious little friend?" N asked the small Pokémon, who simply began wagging its tail and nodding its head in unison, excitement and wonder beginning to show in its eyes.

Satisfied with this, N turned back to Reshiram.

"I think I shall. Let us go see Ash Ketchum."

* * *

"Why does everything go wrong?" Ash groaned to himself as he suppressed the urge to either facepalm or headbutt the table in frustration. Both seemed like good options right now, as the live news story reported what had _just_ happened at Kanto airport.

Misty, who was sitting next to him, could only pat his back reassuringly, as she shook her head exasperatedly.

"Honestly Ash, from what I'm seeing, this is a win. It could have gone _so much_ worse." She said, gaining nods from all the other teens in the room.

Her, Ash, Anabel, Sophocles, Paul, Lana, and May were all sitting in the common room area of the Ketchum residence, watching the news story on the television with a sense of awe. Partly at what had happened, and partly at the fact that, yet again, it seemed to revolve around Ash.

He truly was an unlucky individual sometimes.

But as they watched, a thought occurred to one of their party, causing them to speak up.

"So, if Iris is at the airport, where is everyone else? I've not been fully updated on the situation." May asked, catching Ash's attention, as he lifted his head out of his palms tiredly.

He blew air out of his mouth as he leant back, quickly going over everyone he knew in his head before speaking.

"Well, let's go through everyone, because it's been a long weekend and I might miss a few otherwise." Ash started, as his began counting on his fingers.

"Brock is still studying to be a doctor, but last I heard he was back at Pewter for a family visit. Misty is here, and Tracey is on an errand for Professor Oak, picking up some research material in Kalos." Ash started, before pointing at May.

"You're here as well, along with Paul, and Max was still in Hoenn last I heard, unless he told you something else. Dawn and Serena were both in the same situation as you, sorry for that, by the way, and I currently don't know where they are at all. Iris is at the airport, and Cilan is still in his restaurant. And Clemont and Bonnie should still be at the Lumiose Gym."

"That only leaves the other friends I made in Alola, and apart from Lana and Sophocles, they could also be basically anywhere. All thanks to Hoopa." Ash concluded, before Anabel decided to weigh in.

"Forgive me Ash, but from what I know about you, there are definitely more people who you call friend out there, including your friend who you mentioned to me on the way other to Pallet, Gary Oak. Why did you not count him?"

"Because he's focusing on those who he's spent extended time with." Paul answered, causing everyone to turn to him.

"I'm sorry?" Anabel said, causing Paul to roll his eyes.

"Ash is being surprisingly concise with his thinking. He's not worried about every person who he's ever interacted, that would be silly. But instead he's focusing on those who he has spent long periods of time travelling with, and who would be primarily associated with him during the adventures with all the Legendaries. That's why May got targeted after all, right? Because she was involved in those adventures, and unlike Ash's other companions, she and those two other girls were isolated, making them perfect for abduction." Paul summarised, causing Ash to nod before rubbing his head.

"Yeah, but Anabel does have a point as well. I may not have travelled with Gary, but he definitely knows about my adventures, and is a good friend. He could easily be a target as well."

Before their discussion could continue, Ash felt a prodding on his shoulder, and he turned around to see Sceptile, as well as a few other of his Pokémon standing behind the couch he was sitting on, waiting patiently for his attention. Seeing that he had it, Sceptile spoke.

"It's funny that you said that Ash, because I found out something about those Nihilego that I think you'd find very curious." Sceptile started, before he began to explain how the Nihilego didn't actually need human hosts, and that they were only there for _'reassurance'._

Needless to say, when Sceptile had finished explaining everything, Ash's mood had rapidly gone from tired and exasperated, to dark and toxic. It was almost as if a sense of dread had bleed into the room, and Ash had his head hung low, his hat casting an ominous shade over his eyes as he sat there silently.

Misty, slightly unnerved at this, placed a hand hesitantly on his shoulder. She had never seen Ash this angry, and frankly, it scared her.

"Ash? Are you ok?" She asked quietly, causing him to look up at her, revealing that there were tears streaming down his face. But they weren't tears of sorrow, but ones of rage.

"No. No Misty, I'm not. I'm not ok after finding out that my friends were **kidnapped** in order to manipulate me into helping them. I am **FURIOUS!"** Ash finished, shouting the last word as he stood up and flipped the table in front of him, causing everyone to jump in shock.

Ash then turned suddenly, pointing at the now shocked but prepared Sceptile.

"I want you to take Greninja and Primeape and run over to Pewter town. No one is safe, and I need to get everyone I trust to safety. Get Brock, bring him here, at all costs. You know what to do if anyone tries to attack you."

Sceptile nodded, flicking over the straw in his mouth and his signalled to Greninja and Primeape, the two other agile fighters running out of the house in a flash, Sceptile following them.

Blaziken, who had been standing next to May, shared a look with his trainer, who nodded her consent, before walking over to Ash. He quickly put a paw on his shoulder and gestured to May, before leaping over the couch and running after Sceptile.

Ash, unperturbed by this, turned to the group in front of him, his eyes alive with rage and determination, all fuelled by his determination to protect his friends. But also, within them was, what appeared to be… guilt. And sadness, born out of a sense of accountability. And it broke their hearts to see.

"You're all in danger because of me. I'm sorry for putting you in that situation, but for now, all I can do is protect you. And I promise, I will do everything in my power to do so. Do you trust me?"

Misty was the first to stand, saying nothing but quickly throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"Of course, we do you idiot." She whispered, keeping a tight hold on him.

May was next, rushing over to join the hug.

"I don't blame you for what happened. Never. I know that if you could have stopped it, you would have. At any cost. You're stupid like that." May joked, trying to reassure Ash that this wasn't his fault, even if he blamed himself.

Lana stood next, hesitating at first, before joining in.

"I may be new to all of this, but if I know anything about you Ash, is that you care for us. We're your friends, and we will stand by you like you would always stand by us."

Anabel was soon hugging him, smiling the entire time.

"You are one of the most compassionate people I have ever met Ash. If I know anything, it's that this situation is _not_ your fault. Please don't think that."

To Ash's surprise, he noticed that Sophocles also joined in the hug, wrapping his arms around everyone as best as he could with his short arms.

"I have nothing to add, I just wanted to join in the hug."

Ash couldn't help but snicker at this, before Misty started shouting.

"Hey bowl-cut, get in here." She yelled, causing Paul to raise his eyebrows at her.

"No. I can't express how much I **don't** want to do that. Like, at all." He deadpanned, before Misty just scoffed.

"Don't ruin the moment, just join the group hug and enjoy it dammit."

Paul could only chuckle to himself.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." He muttered to himself, before he walked over and lazily threw his arms over the others.

"I'm going soft." He said to himself, with Anabel lightly shoving his shoulder.

"You know you're loving it."

Ash could only laugh, finally letting the tension in his shoulders go.

"Thanks guys, I needed that." He said, before a deep voice sounded out, giving him a strong feeling of dread.

"DOGPILE!"

"SNORLAX, **NO!** "

* * *

Hey everyone, TWoS here with the next chapter.

This chapter is one I'm curious to see the response to if I'm being honest, since there's a lot of weird elements in this chapter. I finally got around to implementing the ideas I was planning to use in the last chapter and am curious to see what you all thought of it.

But yeah, interesting developments. I tried something a bit new with how I portray certain scenes. Normally, I'd just focus on one segment from one character's perspective and when that event is over, the segment is over. That's how I've been doing it for a long time in this story now and haven't really done a simple perspective shift from segment to segment, with the same event playing out. So, I'm curious to see if you like that or prefer if I stick to my usual style. It may not seem like much, but it's something I was giving a lot of thought over when I wrote the first two segments of this chapter, so if you could let me know, that would be great.

But regardless, this chapter heralds a lot of changes and goal shifts. We spent some time with Lucario's group, who we haven't seen for a while, with two perspectives to see from in this chapter. We got to see Pikachu begin to plan ahead, and Lillie is beginning to become the trainer she's meant to be. N has been introduced, and Ash and the others are slowly bringing themselves back up to speed with each other. Overall, a pretty eventful chapter.

Also, with the last few chapters being so eventful, the groups have shifted massively. So, it's time for an update on the group list. Like last time, the only groups that count are the ones that contain either one of Ash's companions or his Pokémon, and that's it. This is complicated enough as it is. So, this is what we're working with:

 **Group 1:** Ash, Anabel, Sophocles, Misty, May, Paul, Lana, Goodra, Quilava, Larvitar, Mawile, Meganium, Ralts, Leavanny, Scraggy, Togedemaru, Pidgeot, Rotom-Dex, Unfezant, Snorlax, Staraptor, Azelf, Mew, Poipole, Delia, Looker, Professor Kukui, and Professor Oak

 **Group 2:** Sceptile, Blaziken, Greninja, and Primeape

 **Group 3:** Iris, Charizard, Eevee, Dewott, Muk, Krookodile, Latios, Talonflame, Heracross, and Rowlet

 **Group 4:** Pikachu, Espeon, Absol, Buizel, Snowy (Lillie's Alolan Vulpix), Lycanroc, Kingler, Torkoal, Steenee, Latias, Mewtwo, Lapras, Totodile, Lillie, Bianca (Altomare), and Lorenzo

 **Group 5** : Torracat, Lugia, Garchomp, Squirtle, Swellow, Glalie, Emboar, Seismitoad, Hawlucha, Kiawe, Dawn, Max, and Hoopa

 **Group 6:** Bulbasaur, Egg, Infernape, Popplio, Gliscor, Suicune, Entei, and Raikou

 **Group 7:** Lucario, Servine, Donphan, Torterra, Noivern, Nihilego/Serena, Mallow, Cynthia, and Tobias

 **Group 8:** Butterfree, Noctowl, Gigalith, Corpish, and (other) Mewtwo

 **Group 9:** Tauros Herd

I think that's everyone. Please tell me if I have missed anyone, because that is very likely. There's a lot of characters so people being missed is something that I'm not gonna pretend is unlikely. Also, despite some groups merging, I'm somehow at the same number of groups as the last time I made a list… somehow.

As usual, thank you for the support, it is insane as usual. I look forward to seeing your reviews, and please do leave them, I make an effort to read and respond to everyone as I can, since I enjoy hearing what you guys have to say about my work.

Anyway, that's enough out of me for this chapter, thank you for taking the time to read it, much love, and I'll see you next chapter, peace – TWoS.


	34. Chapter 34

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 34**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

" _And this is a picture of Bulbasaur fending off Heracross, who has become somewhat addicted to the nectar he produces in his bulb."_ Mew explained while she waved another photo in Poipole's face, before handing it over so she can grab something else to show her.

Poipole looked over the photo and giggled to herself as she looked at the aghast look on Bulbasaur's face as he desperately tried to pry Heracross off from his tiny body, with mixed results. She then gently placed it down alongside the several other items that she had already looked at.

After being caught by Ash the night before, Poipole and Mew had barely managed to sleep, with the two discussing excitedly about what their lives going forward as two of Ash's Pokémon would be like, and with Mew elatedly telling Poipole stories about what Ash had achieved, usually explaining the events of some of the photos that Poipole had seen earlier.

When they had gotten up early that morning, Ash was still asleep, and Mew had revealed that she actually lived nearby, and had plenty of memorabilia about Ash that she wanted to show Poipole. So, the two of them had rushed off to Mew's home and started going through her many items she had accumulated over the years.

While Mew was shifting through her items, Poipole took this moment to look out of the hole in the small room they were in and take in the view that was available from their vantage point.

And boy, was it a good view.

The place where Mew had made her home was in a massive Oak tree overlooking Pallet Town, towering over every building and standing at the edge of the town's borders. The tree had an incredibly thick trunk, which when hollowed out created more than enough space for a small Pokémon like Mew to create a sizeable home.

And at the top of the tree, in a gap in the branches and leaves, was a clear view of the populated part of Pallet Town. You could see multiple houses, evenly spread out so that each house had a front and back garden, with space in-between them, along a long road which led to a small hill which housed Professor Oak's laboratory.

Standing tall on the small hill, with its distinctive windmill making it easy to point out even from such height and distance that Poipole was currently at. And behind that building, just beyond where you could see from Mew's cozy home, was the Ranch where multiple trainer's Pokémon, including Ash's, would live and exist.

As Poipole observed this view, she couldn't help but compare it to her home. While she did feel passionately about her home, she could tell, especially with this image to act as a comparison, she had to admit that her home was a wasteland compared to this.

Back home, resources were rare, with the military force of the Ultra Beasts having to manage every measure of resource available in order to make sure that things didn't descend into anarchy. The landscape was scarred and ruined, with very little in the way of bright colours or foliage to note of. The air was constantly tainted with smoke and fumes, which made breathing uncomfortable at best, and something which actively burned the lungs at worse.

Her home, as much as she'd always love it, was a barren hellscape in comparison to the green countryside and clear air she was seeing and breathing at the moment.

No wonder her Dad was so angry at the Legendaries, if this is what they had stopped the Ultra Beasts from having.

She was pulled from her wandering thoughts by Mew tapping on her shoulder, bringing her back to the moment.

As Poipole turned to see what it was that Mew was going to show her, she was slightly surprised to see that she was currently empty-handed and was instead just floating there in front of her, tail drooping and ears folded against her head. And the strangest part about this image, about the normally energetic Mew that Poipole had dealt with so far, was the fact that were small tear trails forming on her face, dripping slowly as Mew looked at her sadly.

Before Poipole could ask or comment on it, Mew spoke, her voice a soft whisper with a slight shudder to it.

" _I… I'm sorry. I saw your thoughts and… and your home. I'm sorry, not just for what happened to your home, but for the part that the Legendaries that I associate with had in it."_

Poipole blinked at her in surprise, before lowering her head. She had forgotten about the fact that, despite her acting surprisingly carefree most of the time, she was a Psychic Legendary, and was probably _much_ older and wiser than she let on.

Mew took this moment to float forward, throwing her short arms around Poipole, who could now feel the faint sting of tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

" _But don't worry. We can fix it. The war we're both being dragged into can be stopped._ _ **Ash**_ _can stop it. We just need to do our part and help him, in what ways that are necessary. And put our trust in him. Can you do that?"_

Poipole, looking over Mew's shoulder as she hugged her, glanced over all the stuff about Ash that Mew had just been showing her, pictures of his Pokémon, tickets from tournaments he had participated in and used to develop himself, pieces of merchandise that Ash apparently had no idea even existed, and she thought of the person himself.

How, despite being confronted with an Ultra Beast, he had been kind and pleasant, despite having been attacked by them that morning and having every reason to hate her purely for being associated with those same Ultra Beasts who had just tried to kill him.

But he didn't.

So Poipole allowed herself a small smile as she leaned more into the embrace. Yes. **He** could do it. It wouldn't be quick, and it certainly won't be easy to accomplish, but if anyone could do it: it was the Great Defender.

And that gave her hope.

* * *

Cynthia looked blankly at the badge that Tobias was holding for a moment, and then at Tobias. She stood there silently for a moment, before shrugging heavily.

"Is that meant to mean something to me? I've never heard of ICOP before in my life, and I'm a rather attentive person: it's a bit of a requirement when you become a regional Champion." She explained with a deadpan, causing Mallow to snicker in the background.

Tobias, unfazed by this, simply rolled his shoulder so that his cape fell back into place covering his arm and torso again, before nodding his understanding.

"Understandable. ICOP is not an organisation which actively advertise their existence to the general populace, or even to the likes of powerful and influential regional Champions such as yourself. We prefer to operate outside of the public eye, so we tend to keep our presence to a minimum. May I come in?"

Cynthia seemed a bit taken back by this, before turning back to the group that had amassed behind her, eavesdropping on the conversation. She looked at them questioningly, causing most of them to shrug indifferently, while her grandmother nodded her consent.

With this, she stepped away from the door, allowing Tobias in.

"You are welcome for now, on the grounds that you continue to explain yourself. If you try to treat me like a fool, or withhold information from me, you can either escort yourself out or my Garchomp will do it for you." Cynthia added as Tobias stepped indoors, with said Garchomp grinning evilly, doing her best to show as many teeth as possible, to punctuate this.

Nodding his understanding, he walked in toward the building, striding through the small group that were now watching his every move with a critical eye, making him somewhat nervous due to the powerful Pokémon that were present. But nonetheless, he followed the gesturing of the old woman who, as far as he knew was Cynthia's grandmother, led him to taking a seat at a small dinner table.

Cynthia, after removing her long trench-coat and hanging it up, took a seat opposite him, and waved her hand, a signal to carry on which he took happily.

"ICOP, or the International Chosen One Protection Agency, is simply an organisation which prides itself in protecting the identity and existence of Chosen Ones as and when they show up throughout history. I trust, by now, you are aware that Ash is one of these Chosen Ones, correct?"

Tobias paused for a moment to see how Cynthia responded, which was a curt and quick nod, with a look in her eyes that suggested that this information was newer to her than she'd care to admit.

Ignoring this, he carried on.

"Well, Ash was the Chosen One of the Shamouti Prophecy, which dictated that he'd be the one to unite the three treasures of the Titans, who were the Legendary bird trio, to assist the Legendary Lugia in stopping the destruction of the world as we knew it. And in terms of that event: Ash did an excellent job. The prophecy was fulfilled down to the letter, all the Legendaries, while somewhat bruised and battered from the in-fighting, all survived the encounter, and he managed to do this before any of the side-effects of the prophecy could have any lasting effects on the world."

"If that's the case, then why is there a problem at all? Sounds like Ash did what he needed to do and now you need to do your job. Why would you need me, of all people, to assist you?" Cynthia interrupted, leaning forward as she starred inquisitively at Tobias.

Tobias then paused a moment, thinking over what he was about to say and sighing tiredly to himself.

"The problem arises with what happened after this: Ash didn't stop."

Everyone gave him a curious look, which he ignored in favour of carrying on.

"Our job is to essentially make sure that the Chosen One, once their job is done, is able to reintegrate back into society and function as a normal individual. Most Chosen Ones tend to then live full, meaningful, and satisfying lives. Or at least, those that survive their prophecy."

The group balked at this, especially those particularly close to Ash, as the thought of Ash dying during that event suddenly dawned on them. But Tobias paid no mind to them and carried on.

"However, Ash hasn't allowed that. If he was like other Chosen Ones, he would simply be another trainer making a name for himself and that would be it. But somehow, despite not being crucial to any of the events that happen afterward, he has ended up being involved in multiple world-ending or world-altering events. And while we appreciate his efforts to keep the world safe, he's drawing attention to himself _while_ doing that."

"Excuse me," Mallow then interrupted, "but why is that a problem? Why would people knowing about him doing all this extraordinary stuff be a problem? What's the issue there?"

"The issue," Tobias responded, turning in his seat to stare at Mallow with an agitated look, "is that people **can't** know about these events. Chosen Ones, and their identities, need to be kept secret for the benefit of the world. There are _multiple_ parties who would be interested in acquiring the Chosen One, or just outright eliminating them, so that they can manipulate events for their benefit."

Tobias then paused to collect himself, calming himself down before turning back to Cynthia.

"Imagine if after the Shamouti Incident, people found out about Ash. At that point, he has only participated in a single regional tournament, and is not in any capacity capable of protecting himself against the many threats he'll later challenge. He is a decent battler, but is nowhere near the level he's at now, and with that being his first experience with Legendary Pokémon. Imagine **that** Ash trying to defend himself against the likes of: Team Aqua, Team Magma, Team Galactic, Team Plasma, Team Flare, AND Team Rocket. How would that turn out?"

Cynthia pursed her lips, squinting at Tobias agitatedly as she thought through what he said. She didn't appreciate the way he was talking, but at the same time, had very little to actually counter what he was saying. And based on a cursory glance of Ash's present Pokémon, who seemed to be having flashbacks to their interactions with whichever team of the list Tobias mentioned and imagining them going after a younger Ash.

And looking horrified.

"At first," Tobias continued, "it wasn't a problem. If anything, we expected him to do what he did. He finished his journey through the Orange Islands, then moved on to participate in the Johto league, catching more Pokémon and gaining experience as he went. Nothing unexpected there. But then he proceeded to have interactions with nearly every Legendary who lived in the Johto region. And then he participated in their league. Then he went to Hoenn, where he proceeded to do the exact same thing, _again_."

"And he keeps doing this, again and again. By the time he's in Sinnoh, the boy has pretty much cemented himself as a disaster magnet." Tobias said, throwing his arms up in the air in frustration. "And you know what: either one of those lives he lived would be fine, if it was the only one he had. But him doing both is causing too many problems, and his experience was beginning to mount. From what we saw in early Sinnoh, he was gearing up for a win in that league, which would have made him a tournament champion. Which was too much."

Cynthia's eyes widened as she realised where he was going with this story.

"So, I was dispatched. Normally, my role is to deal with… rogue elements who are pursuing after the identity of Chosen Ones or are actively trying to trigger prophecies. I've even dealt with creatures that don't belong to this world, much like those that attacked Ash this morning. But this time, I was charged with one objective: stop Ash from winning that tournament. I used my Pokémon to blitz through the gyms of Sinnoh and enter myself into the tournament. And the rest, I trust, you are well aware of."

"But why?" Lucario asked, causing Tobias to jump, as he suddenly darted his head round to look at the Aura Pokémon. "I understand the concept of you wanting Ash to remain anonymous if he were to continue interacting with Legendaries, but why only stop him from winning? If you were really interested in stopping him from gaining attention, why not just stop him from entering tournaments? Or attempting to at the very least, since I doubt you'd be very successful at stopping him."

"Because he had already made a name for himself." Tobias replied dismissively. "By the time we realised what was happening in regard to Ash, he had made enough of a name for himself that his sudden departure from the tournament circuit would be too apparent. So, unless he made the decision to stop himself, he needed to keep participating in tournaments. Anything more would draw too much attention to whoever was involved: i.e. **us.** "

"And as for why we had to stop him from simply winning, it's because of the prize of every regional tournament." Tobias continued, before looking at Cynthia with a side-eye. "When you win a regional tournament, you gain the right to challenge that region's Elite Four and, if you succeed in beating them, the Champion. And everyone who does, regardless of how they do, becomes a central point of that region's news stories."

Cynthia nodded at this, a look of understanding on her face.

"He has a point. If there's anything that'll draw attention to a trainer, it's challenging any of the Elite Four. You'd have to participate in at least a dozen tournaments to get even close to that level of coverage. It makes sense." She summarised, before pointing at Tobias. "But that's besides the point. You've done a lot of talking but you've still not answered one question. Why do you need my help?"

Tobias sighed, before wiping his brow and leaning forward.

"Due to his actions, we have to keep a close eye on the boy. It's the only way to cover his actions enough to not be the hot topic of every location he goes to. And now… we've lost him. The battle that happened in Alola was something we didn't see coming, and now we've lost the Chosen One. We're reeling, and we need the help to deal with the fallout. And based on how you've already managed to find some of his Pokémon, you and your fellow Champions are the best bet."

Cynthia looked over Ash's Pokémon and turned back to Tobias. She said nothing for a few minutes, which gave her grandmother time to hand her a file folder. She looked over the folder, quickly recognising it as the one she made about Ash a few years ago, before nodding, first at her grandmother, and then at Tobias.

"Fine. I still don't trust you that much, but fine. I need to make some phone calls before we leave, but I'll come with you."

Content with this, Tobias nodded at her, before Cynthia walked to Lucario and Mallow and quickly whispered a quick message to them before heading to her office.

"Don't take your eyes off him."

* * *

Tapu Koko sighed as he returned to the Ruins of Conflict, with the two Genesect trailing behind him looking dejected and disappointed in themselves with Tapu Lele hanging back.

Their search of Alola had been very unsuccessful, with no signs of Ash or his Pokémon on any of the islands. They thought they had struck gold when they overhead some humans talking about an incident occurring at Aether Paradise involving some strange acting Pokémon, but by the time they had rushed over there; they were gone. With no distinct trail or clues as to where they went.

So, after that, they had given up, deciding that it wasn't worth trying to search the entire region again for a group who might not have stayed in Alola at all, instead deciding to take a moment to rest before heading to the Chosen One's home in Pallet Town.

So here they were, and never had Tapu Koko felt so tired. He still hadn't recovered from the interaction with Pikachu, who he was going to have nightmares about for a while now. He already knew that Pikachu had been powered up significantly after a meeting involving Zekrom, having fought him shortly after. But the power he used then was nothing compared to the power of his Fusion Bolt.

It was utterly terrifying.

So, with that in the back of his mind, Tapu Koko quickly grabbed some berries and began putting them in the same bag which held the vast collection of z-crystals that he had wanted to give Ash, before a chill ran through his spine.

It was like a shock to his system, as every warning system his body had suddenly went haywire all at once. His fur bristled all over in a wave, he got goose-bumps appearing across his body, and every impulse running through his mind was telling him to run and hide. And with a quick, darted glance at Tapu Lele, he knew he wasn't the only one who felt it.

With no hesitation, he quickly darted to the Genesect, telling them to follow him and then rushing out of the Ruins of Conflict as fast as he could push his body forward into the sky. With Tapu Lele and the Genesect pair following him, they rushed forward to the Vast Poni Canyon on Poni Island.

The Blinding One had awoken.

* * *

Maxie sighed as he scratched his chest lazily, looking around the room he had been placed in by his prison guards in an attempt to distract himself.

The room was, annoyingly, rather bare. An obvious one-way mirror that someone was standing behind, watching his every move, a simple table that he was sitting out with two empty chairs, and the one he was sitting in. There was a single reinforced door, and a small camera which seemed to almost buzz as it recorded Maxie. And that was it. Having now noted every discernible detail about the room, Maxie decided to reflect inward.

Having spent the last few years imprisoned, Maxie had had plenty of time to reflect on his actions over the past few years, and his plans. While he had come to accept that his goals may have been ambiguously misplaced, and that he no longer had the goal to cover the world with an enlarged landmass, a part of him did feel sorrow in not finishing what he started, even if the ending he now sought was different to his original goal.

A part of Maxie couldn't help but wonder; 'what would he do if he got another shot at acquiring the power of the Legendary Groudon?'

He didn't actually know. But rather worryingly, he wanted to find out.

Maxie was drawn forth from his thoughts as the door was opened, and a guard stepped into the space with Maxie. Only for the absolute worse person, in Maxie's opinion, to step in after the guard.

"MAXIE! Ya wee pest, I haven't seen ye in years! How ya been?" Archie boomed jovially as he walked into the room, giving Maxie a headache that he had _almost_ forgotten about.

"I've been imprisoned, same as you, you big buffoon." Maxie retorted, causing Archie to laugh as he took a seat next to him.

"Glad ta see ye ain't lost your edge Maxie. I was worried this place had made you soft." Archie said as he pulled his chair up, causing Maxie to sigh. As much as he'd hate to admit it, he was inwardly glad that Archie was still the same. The two of them went way back, and he had worried over the past few years about what had happened to Archie and whether his mind had recovered from the possession or not.

Seeing him being his usual self was actually relieving.

Regardless, he couldn't help but be confused about why he and his old friend/nemesis was now in a room alone with no prompting or reasoning.

Before he could ask Archie if he knew anything, another guard walked into the room, carrying a laptop, he then placed it on the table, facing the screen toward the pair before leaving the room.

As soon as the door shut, the computer whirred into life, and Giovanni's face appeared on the screen.

"Gentlemen, good afternoon. I trust you have been treated well?" Giovanni greeted, causing the two ex-Team leaders to share a confused look. Which caused Giovanni to smirk at the pair.

"Your confusion is understandable. I must admit, this style of interaction is not one I usually commit to, but this is a unique situation which must take advantage of the circumstances we currently find ourselves in. Afterall, I'm sure the pair of you would like to find out what's been happening in the world?" Giovanni continued, ending his question with a confident smirk, knowing how tantalising his bait was.

Had either Maxie OR Archie been lesser men, they would have bitten straight away. They had spent the last two and a bit years in a supermax prison with next to no interaction with the outside world, so the idea of being updated on the recent going-ons was tempting, to say the least.

But they weren't lesser men. You needed to be made of stronger stuff to lead a criminal organisation.

After a brief moment of silence, Giovanni smiled, leaning back in the chair he was sitting in… whatever location he was broadcasting from.

"I'm glad to see you're not so wavering as to give in on the first offer, it proves you may have some use to me. So, for now, I'll divulge my information for free. But recently, both Kyogre and Groudon were seen in the Alola region, interacting with a certain Ash Ketchum."

Their attention had been caught by the mention of the Legendaries that they had chased when they had their freedom, but they were captivated by the mention of the one who had been instrumental in their defeat and arrest. The one whose Pikachu had released Groudon, who had stopped the securing of the Blue Orb, and who assisted Champion Lance in taking them down.

And at their attentive faces, Giovanni's smile grew bigger.

"It may surprise the pair of you to find out that their appearance has been part of a larger event, with multiple appearances of Legendaries from various regions and groupings. And the same day as Groudon and Kyogre's appearance, said Ash Ketchum was attacked by a group of Pokémon even _I_ don't recognise."

The screen then flickered, showing quick flashes of blurry images, showing Pokémon unlike anything the pair had seen in their lives, unlike even the bizarre Legendary and Mythical Pokémon. After switching between a few images, Giovanni appeared again on the screen.

"From what I can tell, Ash Ketchum, the regional Champions, and even the Legendaries are occupied with this new threat; something that I feel is exploitable." Giovanni paused for a second, before looking at the two men with a passive stare. "However, it is something that I cannot achieve alone: which is where you two come in."

At that moment, two guards came in, each carrying a duffle bag, one with the Team Magma insignia and the other with the Team Aqua insignia, which were then placed in front of their respected Leaders.

"Here's my proposition for you gentlemen: I am planning on securing assets that will secure Team Rocket as the dominate criminal power on the globe. With no one to challenge me, there'll be no one to challenge my profits. And to ensure this happens, I need to monopolise the crime syndicate."

"I plan on securing as much power as I can, but even my reach and knowledge is limited. And to put all the power into one hand risks someone trying to usurp me from within, so to secure my power, I'd like to bring the two of you in." Giovanni offered, causing the two leaders to scoff at him.

"Us? Work for you? Why the bloody hell would we do that?" Archie half shouted, and while Maxie balked at the noise level, he nodded his agreement. Which seemed to amuse the leader of Team Rocket.

"Because it's the best choice you've got. It's either you accept my deal, or you rot, alone in your cells till the day you pass. I have other options to go to if you say no… you do not."

Both Maxie and Archie gulped as inconspicuously as they could, before Maxie leaned forward.

"Perhaps if we heard the deal, we'd be more inclined to listen."

Giovanni smirked. He had them.

"If you accept my deal, you'll be reconstructing your teams, returning them to the former strength you previously had. The only difference if that you'll operating from under the banner of Team Rocket, and ultimately answer to me. By keeping your power to yourselves, and still answering to me, you'll solidify my power, and ensure no one could ever try and take me out."

"And what exactly do ye plan for us to do? If ya wanted more goons, I'd imagine ye'd go to some other tyke who'd be less like te backstab ya. Why us?" Archie asked with crossed arms, getting a chuckle out of Giovanni.

"Because I want the two of you to secure the Legendaries you previously chased."

That shocked the pair of them, and they made no effort to hide it.

"Are you serious? Why?!" Maxie shouted, finally raising his voice.

"Because we'll never get an opportunity like this again, weren't you listening?" Giovanni scolded, before carrying on. "I plan on securing some Legendaries myself, and if you secure yours, then there'd be no one who could challenge us. And if you're wondering why I'd entrust you to keep those Legendaries, just know that the ones I'm going after are significantly more powerful, and I'll have multiple."

"And before you ask, the reason why I don't secure them for myself is because, like I said previously, even my reach and knowledge is limited. And no one knows those Legendaries like the two of you."

"So, my deal is, you get out of this prison and have two weeks to rebuild your teams. I'll give ample resources and connections to do so quickly enough. You then secure your Legendaries, and under my banner, we'll crush any and all resistance, including Ash Ketchum."

He then paused, taking delight in just watching the twinkle in their eyes. After a few seconds, they nodded, opening the bags to find their iconic outfits in them, slightly tweaked to bear a colourful R insignia on them as well.

"Welcome to Team Rainbow Rocket."

* * *

Hey everyone, TWoS here and I'm back.

This chapter is one of my slower ones, I'm not gonna lie. Lots of dialogue, discussion, and exposition, but I hope you all find it interesting regardless. We've got a fair bit of character introspection and as always, things are being pushed into position. There's so much going that it's hard to keep track of, but they'll start coming to a head now. Not all at once, but close enough to one another to be a constant problem for Ash.

I feel like this is either going to be a hit or miss chapter. We get some insight on Poipole, as well as learn some more about Mew, which hopefully explain a little bit about why they are the way they are, especially to each other. We get some backstory on Tobias, the most enigmatic character in Pokémon and the organisation he works for. Tapu Koko is, rather unsurprisingly, having a panic, though this time for something non-ash related: The Blinding One. Wonder who that is?

And the big part of this chapter which people hopefully will like: the formation of Team Rainbow Rocket. I really don't know if this will work for people, so some feedback on whether you think that the inclusion of the Hoenn team leaders, and their reasons for being included in Giovanni's plans, are sound or not. That'd be really helpful. If you like it, let me know. If not, please tell me why. That'd be really helpful.

I'm not gonna do another group update, since the groups have mostly stayed the same. I also know that some people will be upset that certain groups or characters, such as Ash, didn't appear this chapter, and I'm sorry. He'll have a more central focus in the next chapter, don't worry.

Other than that, thank you as always for the support you've shown. The reviews and favourites are greatly appreciated and I'm always in shock by how many people apparently like my story: so, thank you greatly.

That's it for this chapter. I'll hopefully have the next chapter out sooner, but I won't make any promises. I can promise that it won't take more than a month, at the very least. Regardless, until then, thank you for reading this chapter, much love, and I'll see you next time, peace – TWoS.


	35. Chapter 35

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 35**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

"So what brings you to Alola Max?" Kiawe asked as they travelled back to Hau'oli City, their rag-tag group trailing not too far behind them, with Kiawe supporting a limping Dawn as they walked and with Seismitoad carrying Hoopa carefully in his arms.

"Well, truth be told, I came here to see Ash. I was going to surprise him with a visit before beginning my journey across this region. Or that was my plan at least. I should have figured that something would have gone wrong." Max explained, earning himself some nods from the other two trainers.

"So how do you know Ash then?" Kiawe followed up, looking at Max curiously. In response, he just shrugged.

"I travelled with him for a while. I met Ash through my sister, which is actually how I know Dawn as well," he explained, causing Dawn to tilt her head slightly as he continued, "and I followed him through his journey in Hoenn and the Battle Frontier. I learned a lot from him as a response."

Swellow took this opportunity to fly back down, allowing Max's Ralts, who had been riding upon his back, jump back down onto Max's shoulder and take a seat.

"I wanted to let him know I had become a trainer and perhaps get a battle with him if he had caught any new Pokémon. So much for that idea."

Dawn smiled sympathetically before wincing in pain, almost falling forward if it weren't for Kiawe catching her.

"Which begs the question, what **happened** while I gone?" Max asked incredulously, which Kiawe just shook his head at.

"I'm not even fully sure myself if I'm honest. It's a long story, I'll tell you that for nothing. Best to just summarise it as: 'trouble'."

Max just nodded, accepting Kiawe's answer as they crossed into Hau'oli City. They began to walk through the cluttered streets, working around the crowds of people and the rubble that had yet to be cleared was being disposed of. They walked to the Pokémon centre and found, to their horror, that it was shut.

"The Pokécentre is shut? I didn't even know they could close. Where do we go now?" Max asked aloud, throwing his arms up in the air in frustration.

And then, seemingly stepping out from thin air, a nurse joy appeared, along with a number of Chansey who were carrying various stretchers with wounded Pokémon on them.

"My apologies, the Pokécentre is closed today for the general public, in order to prioritise our resources to the heavily wounded from the damage caused this morning. If you're looking for medical assistance, a general practitioner has been set up a few blocks down. They'll be able to help you with any general ailments there."

Nodding their thanks, the group began to trundle down the street, following the directions given by to them by the Nurse Joy. After walking down the street a few blocks, as instructed, they found the sign indicating the building which had been made into a temporary healing station. And they all balked at the sign hanging above the door.

"Ash Ketchum Fan Club?" They all asked in unison, sharing a disbelieving look amongst themselves before knocking on the door.

The door opened to reveal a young man wearing some scrubs and carrying a stethoscope in one hand and a bowl filled with mashed up berries in the other.

"Are you here for medical treatment? Then please, come in and take a seat. I'll be with you shortly." The man said, stepping back into the building and returning to a lone Eevee that was laying softly on a matt which had been laid out.

The group walked gingerly into the building and were shocked by what they saw. Throughout the building, there were photos and illustrations of Ash, of his battles and his victories. To Max's and Dawn's surprise, there were even a few that they were in, times from when Ash had travelled in Hoenn or Sinnoh.

What really caught their eye however, was the fact that on one wall was a massive board, that stretched across half the wall. The background of the board was covered in a large map, consisting of the multiple regions that existed in their world, with the regions of Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Alola being easily recognised by their native trainers. And on the board was numerous pieces of string of various colours, which strung out between locations on the board, seemingly at random. And underneath the layer of interwoven string were coloured pins, also placed seemingly at random.

Max edged closer to the board, curiosity consuming him as Kiawe slowly lowered Dawn onto a seat. He gazed over the board momentarily, looking at where certain pins were placed and how certain strings roped together certain locations, trying to see if any pattern would make itself apparent.

Dawn, meanwhile, was just enjoying being able to rest, her body still recovering from the toxins of the Nihilego, leaving her feeling faint and with a pounding headache.

"Arceus, what I wouldn't do for a bottle of water right now." Dawn muttered to herself.

"Be careful what you wish for." A voice behind her said creepily.

Dawn jumped out of her skin, throwing herself out of her chair and knocking it, along with several others, over in her panic. A wave of nausea then washed over her, causing her legs to nearly give out under her. The only thing stopping her from falling was Garchomp catching her in his claws.

"Thanks, Garchomp." She mumbled, before a thought occurred to her. "When did you become a Garchomp?"

Garchomp simply shrugged, before turning his head and glaring at the one who snuck up behind Dawn, growling slightly as he did. Dawn also turned back to see who had scared her, only to be surprised that she recognised it.

"Conway?"

Standing before her was a trainer, not much older than her, with his light brown hair and square-shaped glasses, dressed in a simple shirt and jean combo, with a sleeveless jacket to complete his look, staring smugly at Dawn as he readjusted his glasses.

"Indeed, it is, a superior trainer at your service. But I must admit, I would not have predicted to see you of all people in a region like this, what with its lack of contests and all. Mind you, I'm not exactly complaining, not when it means that I can see a face as pretty as yours again." Conway replied, adding a slight bow to his self-flattery, which Dawn sneered at.

"So, you're as creepy as ever, that's great. Just great." She moaned slightly, getting a slight chuckle from Garchomp, as he began to gently coax her back toward a seat.

Conway, meanwhile, seemed rather annoyed, and took a step closer to her.

"As much as I enjoy this… back and forth, we share, I have a question. What, exactly, are you doing here in Alola?"

Dawn didn't respond at first, simply taking deep breaths as she sat, with Garchomp using his claw to rub circles into her back, and Squirtle bringing her a bottle of water he 'borrowed' from a nearby cooler.

Which seemed to frustrate Conway further.

"I must press, since my knowing is of the utmost importance, _what_ are you doing in Alola?" He asked again, this time a bit more sternly as he closed in more on Dawn.

But as he came within arm's reach, Garchomp reared up to his full height, and began baring his teeth at Conway, placing himself between him and Dawn. This caught the interest of the others, sparking Emboar and Seismitoad to flank Dawn on either side, creating a wall of muscle in-between her and Conway.

Sensing the aggression, Conway took a step back, only to feel something lightly tapping his leg. Turning around, he saw a Squirtle wearing a pair of black sunglasses, while brandishing a chair leg, smacking it threateningly into his palm.

Dawn could only chuckle at how Conway was sweating profusely and began patting Garchomp's leg.

"I appreciate the sentiment guys, but he's not a threat. Creepy and annoying: definitely. But I doubt he'll hurt me." She reassured. This seemed to do the trick as they began to calm down, Garchomp nudging his head against Dawn before taking a step back.

Conway, after taking a second to wipe his brow, simply chuckled nervously as he stood there, not wanting to risk taking another step forward.

"Rather protective, aren't they? I wonder how you managed to do that with such powerful Pokémon?" He mused, causing Dawn to snort.

"They're Ash's Pokémon, of course they're going to protect me. They'd protect any of his friends." Dawn stated, with Garchomp nodding enthusiastically over her shoulder. Conway seemed to be rather intrigued by this.

"Ash's Pokémon, you say? Then this must be his Gible." He mused, causing Garchomp to smirk at him. "I wonder when he evolved so many of his Pokémon? My notes state that he does have these Pokémon, but not in these forms."

Dawn raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms, an action with Garchomp mimicked.

"Notes? What notes?"

"These notes." Max shouted from across the room, as he glared at the map.

"I'm sorry?" Kiawe asked, as he walked over from where he was speaking with the nurse after handing her Hoopa to heal.

"This board, it's about Ash. From what I can tell, the pins are representative of people, and the strings are to do with events. And they seem to be following Ash's journey throughout the entire world." He said analytically, eyes fixating on the two blue pins which had been placed on his home city of Petalburg in Hoenn.

Conway simply smirked as he adjusted his glasses again and walked over to the board.

"Rather observant. You match the profile that I've made for you at least, which is assuring. My research is sound." He commented as he went to a cupboard, opened it up, and began dragging out a whiteboard on wheels and grabbing a thick folder from a bag which was attached to it.

"But you are indeed right, I have been researching Ash. He is a peculiar character and ever since he defeated me at the Lilly of the Valley Conference, I became motivated to study him and see why none of my strategies seem to work. However, after much studying and research, I began to notice some, irregularities."

Dawn and Max shared a look, concern etched onto their face, while Kiawe just looked on unimpressed. Conway, not paying attention to any of this, simply carried on.

"I noticed that, throughout his journey, there seem to be… holes. While I understand that, due to travelling on foot between settlements would lead to stretches where he's invisible to the public eye, there seem to be some instances where they don't make sense. Entire encounters seem to have disappeared."

Dawn frowned at this, leaning back in her chair and taking a quick sip of her water.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, take the time that he was in Snowpoint city, before that very tournament. On one day, he's present in the gym located in that town, where he fights and beats the local gym leader. Nothing unusual there. Two days after that, he's spotted fighting his rival at Lake Acuity. Again, nothing unusual there. However, it's the day between those two events that catches my interest. Normally, from what my research indicates, after a gym, he spends the next day or so recovering in the Pokécentre or exploring the town."

To punctuate this point, he pulled out a paper wallet from the folder, and pulled out multiple photos from multiple cities of Ash and Pikachu either exploring the town or relaxing in the Pokécentre with whatever companies he had at that time.

"However, in this instance; there's nothing. No images of him exploring the town, no security of him in the Pokécentre, no actual evidence of him being there at all. So, it begs the question: what happened during that day?"

Max opened his mouth to retort, and then closed it, as he considered what had been said. He had a point, after all. Whenever Ash did a gym battle, or a battle on that sort of level, he would take the next day to unwind. He'd eat, he'd laugh, he'd messed about, which was something that Max reasoned why he was able to deal with those battles so well. He knew how to unwind from a stressful situation. Why was this time different?

Dawn, on the other hand, was racking her memory, running though the events that happened over those few days in Snowpoint. They had gone to Candice's school, Ash had battled her and won the gym battle, they had watched Paul battle Brandon, and then the next day they dealt with Hunter J as she…

Dawn's eyes widened as she realised what day was missing. The day where they, along with Brandon, had managed to stop Hunter J from poaching Regigigas.

"And that's not the only instance, there are missing entries like this throughout his journey. All of which paint a confusing image around the trainer that is Ash Ketchum. What started as me simply trying to understand an oddity of a trainer, has become a search for the truth. Who, or what, is Ash Ketchum?"

He pointed at the board that Max was looking at.

"In order to answer this question, I began to create a board of his journey. The strings represent his journey through each region; which towns he went to, what gyms he beat, significant events, and the like. And the pins represent people he's met, from his rivals to allies to influential individuals. I was surprised at how much he gets about. And the bits with tape on them are areas where gaps exist."

Max simply bit his lip in frustration, as he looked over the board again, looking at the blue pins that were position in his town, and the ones that were in Pallet Town, Pewter City, Twinleaf Town, and many other cities across the regions. He certainly knew his stuff.

Which was deeply concerning.

"And due to these gaps, I've come up with a few theories as to why they occur." Conway adds, before pulling out several paper wallets, each with a large label with the name of the theory in question covering it.

The assembled group glanced over some of the theories, and then gave Conway a deadpan stare.

"Really?" Dawn asked, as she rose one of the paper wallets. "'Ash is a Pokémon?'"

"That's one of my popular theories, especially in this establishment. The main debate is _which_ Pokémon Ash is. The main two suggested is either a Mew or a Zoroark. I personally lean toward the Mew argument, but both are valid."

While Conway said this, Max picked up another theory.

"'Ash is a Legendary avatar?' What does that even mean?"

"Ah, that one is one of the more out-there theories. Due to his near-superhuman endurance, ability to connect with Pokémon even better than he does with most humans, and his misunderstanding of interactions with humans, particularly women, it's speculated that he is an avatar for a Legendary."

Max just glared at him, as he waved his hand in a circular motion.

"And that means?"

"So basically, he is a human body which a Legendary can posses and use at any point, acting as a human representative for the Gods of our world. The Legendaries who might be doing this is a subject of heated debate here, with answers like Arceus, Mew, Zapdos, and even Victini being thrown into the mix. I myself do not believe in this theory, but I refuse to dismiss it."

Max shook his head at this, throwing the paper wallet he was holding onto the table before turning to Dawn.

"Well, as fun as these theories are, I prefer facts. Dawn, you were with Ash in Sinnoh, would you care to tell us what happened?"

Dawn smiled smugly, turning to look Conway in the eye before answering.

"Of course. We spent that day stopping a bounty hunter from taking the Regigigas that lives in Snowpoint City Temple. Eventful day. No idea why there's no record of it, but it happened."

Max nodded his thanks, while Conway simply stood there, mouth agape. Before he could say anything, a nurse walked over to Dawn, gesturing her to come with her.

"Come on dearie, let's get you check out. We'll have you as right as rain in no time."

As the nurse escorted Dawn away, Dawn never broke eye contact with Conway, staring at him smugly and even sticking her tongue out as she went around the corner.

As Conway stood there in shock, Kiawe chuckled to himself, along with the rest of the Pokémon present. But Max stood there with a concerned look on his face, which Kiawe noticed.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone covered up an event involving Ash and a Legendary. And based on what areas on the map have tape on them, it looks like its not the only situation." Max said, before pointing at an area in Hoenn.

"This is when we met Jirachi, I remember that well. If this is the trend in the gaps, then someone _else_ is keeping tabs on Ash. And covering his tracks."

"But who would do that?" Kiawe asked, while Squirtle, Torracat, Lugia, and Garchomp shared an intrigued look with each other.

"I don't know. I really don't know."

* * *

Professor Oak knocked on Delia's door with the same pattern he usually did, with Professor Kukui standing behind him, asking his opinions on important matters

"So which move, in your opinion, is better? Hyper Beam or Giga Impact?"

Well, important matters to Kukui at least.

Oak smiled to himself, pursing his lips as he gave the question some thought.

"Well, having used both of those moves myself, I personally prefer Hyper Beam. I have a preference for ranged moves, which suit my Pokémon such as Charizard and Dragonite excellently. Giga Impact has it's uses, but I find it brings you too close to your opponent when the recharge takes effect."

Kukui nodded at this, flipping open his notebook and jotting down his answer dutifully. As Oak smiled wistfully at his actions, Delia opened the door.

"Professors, so nice to see you again. Please, come in, I'm making some tea."

Nodding their thanks, they stepped into the house and walked through to the kitchen, where Mr Mime was setting out some empty cups on the table for the new entries.

Taking a seat, Professor Oak leaned over to grab a biscuit from the tray, since Delia always knew what biscuits he liked and had them out for him, when Kukui spoke up.

"Mrs Ketchum, may I have a word with you, along with Professor Oak, for a moment please?"

Surprised by this, Delia sat down at the remaining seat at the small kitchen table, her attention fully on Kukui.

"Of course, what can I help you with? Is it to do with the Legendaries? I understand if that is a little bit overwhelming." Delia asked, her concern easily apparent.

But Kukui simply waved her off, grabbing a biscuit himself as he did.

"No, no. I'm fine. My local Legendary, Tapu Koko, is known for making appearances somewhat more regularly than our other Island Guardians. I've seen him a few times in my life, which is more than most can say. So I can handle that. What I'm curious in is the two of you. How much do you know about Ash's life and the Legendaries that constantly get involved in it?"

The two shared a look, with Oak seeming bashful and Delia seeming… exhausted by the thought. Seeing this, Oak decided to answer first.

"Well, I had an incident when I was a young lad that… sort of prepared me to deal with this. When I was, well, not much older than Ash really, the Legendary Celebi sent me forward in time. I then met Ash, who was travelling through Johto at the time, who helped me save Celebi from a Pokémon hunter. I was then returned to my time, well prepared for Ash's shenanigans." Oak then paused in his story, as a look of realisation appeared in his face.

"Speaking of which, I just realised that I need to make a call. Excuse me for a moment." And with that, he stood from the table and exited the room, pulling his phone out of his inside pocket on his lab coat.

Delia took this moment to start talking.

"Well, the first time I found out about it was after Shamouti. I flew over there with Professor Oak and found Ash after it had all been sorted. He doesn't lie to me, so he told me everything that happened when I asked, and it scared me. If I'm being honest, I almost tried to stop him from being a trainer after that."

She then paused for a second, smiling sadly as she looked into the empty cup in front of her.

"But I could never stop him. I may be his mother, but being the hero is in his blood. He's just a good person, and he won't turn away from someone in need. I don't think he even _can_. Even if he wanted to. I think if I tried to ground him or stop him, he'd resist."

"Then what made you ok with it in the end? Because you clearly think he's doing the right thing, so how did you come to peace with it?" Kukui asked, taking another bite of his biscuit as he did.

"I think what really made me ok with it was when I got kidnapped by an Entei," she explained, causing Kukui to sit back in shock.

"Long story. But, seeing what he was willing to go through, not just for me, but for a little girl named Molly, made me realise that he was naturally a hero. I couldn't stop that, so I came to terms with it."

She then smirked to herself, as she glanced over to a list she had pinned on the fridge.

"But it's about time that those Legendaries actually showed some gratitude for what my son had done. If one of them could only help him find a girl, then that would be great."

Kukui threw his head back as he laughed at this, tears forming in his eyes as he held his stomach.

"So, you're trying to find him a girl too, huh? Any luck?" He asked through the occasional breaks in his laughter, to which Delia only sighed.

"I wish. I've made a list of all the girls who have either expressed interest in Ash or have the potential to start a relationship with Ash, and none of them have managed to stir anything in the boy. He worries me in that regard." She said, as she went over to the fridge, pulled off the list, and unfolded it in front of Kukui.

And the list was longer than his arm.

That stopped his laughter.

"Damn, that's a long list." Kukui deadpanned, as he glanced over some of the names. Getting to the bottom of the list, he recognised the names of 'Lillie', 'Mallow', and 'Lana' on the list.

"I'm aware." She responded as she shut her eyes in thought.

"One of those girls even kissed him, and nothing. The only reason I know that happened is because I keep in contact with all of Ash's friends as well. They're good kids. But Arceus knows how Ash is going to find a girl if he's not looking."

At this point, Oak returned from the other room, returning his phone to his pocket.

"Well, the good news is that Gary is safe. He's returning from a research trip in Kalos and is currently on a plane. Ash managed to beat me to it with the warning, so he's well prepared in case something happens, but the main take away is that he's safe and will be in Pallet Town by tomorrow morning."

Delia smiled at this, before getting up and walking over to the kettle, which had finally finished boiling.

"That's wonderful, I'm sure Ash will appreciate having Gary's support right now. They may treat each other as rivals, but deep down they're good friends, and the idea of them having each other's back is greatly appreciated."

"Speaking of Ash, where is the boy? I've not seen him since yesterday when he went to bed." Oak asked, sitting back down and grabbing one of the, rapidly disappearing, biscuits.

"Oh, he and the others are out training, you'll probably be able to hear the explosions any moment now."

* * *

Larvitar took a seat on a log as he threw a few berries into his mouth, content and ready to watch.

When Ash decided to do some training after sending out some of his Pokémon to help others, he had thought about the best course of action for Larvitar. After a short discussion, they decided that it would be most beneficial for Larvitar to watch some trainer battles first, so he could get a feel for how they worked before giving it a try himself.

So, here he was, getting comfortable with some snacks he foraged as Ash began etching out a trainer box with a stick, with some of the other humans doing the same not too far from Ash.

As he ate some more berries, he noticed the branch sag a little more on his left, causing him to look left.

There, sitting on the branch with him, was a young looking Ralts, who was looking at him with a critical eye.

Unnerved by this, Larvitar simply pursed his lips, before gingerly offering out a berry.

"You want one?" He asked hesitantly, waggling the berry to try and make it seem more appetising.

The Ralts simply leant forward, slapping the berry out of his hand before crossing her arms.

"Hey!" Larvitar exclaimed, leaning forward to pick it back up when Ralts spoke.

"Why?"

Larvitar picked up the berry and looked at her incredulously.

"I'm sorry?"

"Why join Mr Ash? I'm curious. My mother has told me about him, and he seems like a good person. But I wanted to hear it from someone else, and apparently, you're a new Pokémon in Mr Ash's party. So, you seemed like a good place to start."

Larvitar nodded at this, before looking at his bruised berry.

"And you slapped my berry because?"

Ralts simply smirked at this.

"Because I felt like it."

Larvitar looked at her evenly for a second, before shaking his head and sitting back down.

"Well, truth be told, it's because I know he'll do good by me. He was there when I hatched, after all, and helped return me to my mother. He didn't try to force me to join his team back then, he just spent time trying to help me with my issues and to return me to my mother. And when he did, he said goodbye and left."

Ralts tilted her head at this, causing her hair to move out of the way of her right eye.

"Wait, so did you not join his team? How are you here now?" She asked, causing him to chuckle.

"The important thing to remember about that story is; I was hatched nearly four years ago. I've spent the time since with my mother, learning all I can from her and spending time with her. But for my evolution line, we're expected to go out on our own after a while, either with a trainer or into the wild. When Ash returned to my home, and I saw him, I knew which option I would pick. There's no other trainer I would trust."

"So, with that in mind, my mother spoke with Ash, said goodbye to me, and now I'm here. I know the basis of battling, my mother taught me that. But now, Ash will make me a **good** battler. Hopefully, when I return to my mother, I'll be a mighty Tyranitar, and I'll make her proud."

Ralts nodded at this, accepting his answer with a soft smile.

"Very well. Second question," she started, looking at Larvitar with a super serious look, "what's with the Mawile?"

"I think that's just a case of her being a 'daddy's girl'." Larvitar responded cheekily, causing Ralts to giggle.

As they shared a laugh, a shadow loomed over them, catching both of their attention.

"Ah, there you are sweetheart, I wondered where you got to." Meganium said as she scooped up Ralts with some vines.

"Bayleef?" Larvitar asked in surprise, catching Meganium's attention.

"Larvitar? As in, Mount Silver Larvitar? Arceus, it's been years. How're you doing?" She asked politely, a bright smile on her face.

Larvitar looked out over to Ash, who had finally finished making the temporary match box, and was throwing down a challenge to the grouchy kid with the bowl-haircut and smiled.

"I'm happy. I'm home."

* * *

"Quilava, use Eruption!"

With a plume of smoke and fire, Quilava fired a blast point blank into Aggron's face, causing him to stumble backwards from the blast. Paul didn't seem too bothered by this.

"Aggron, shake it off and use Rock Smash."

Aggron did exactly that, regaining his footing by catching himself with his tail, and pushed forward to launch his large body toward Quilava. Quilava narrowly avoided the massive skull crashing into her, as Aggron's horns ripped into the floor, tearing up the floor and creating a massive crater as Quilava rolled away with a Flame Wheel.

As the two battled, Misty and Anabel were busy keeping an eye on Looker, who was still keeping himself isolated from the others as he took sips from his flash, watching Ash intently.

"So, you work with him, right? What's his angle?" Misty asked, causing Anabel to simply sigh.

"His _angle_ is to benefit himself. He only signed on to the Ultra Beast division of the International Police to get in good standings with his superiors, and he's only still involved because he sees this as an opportunity to get a promotion." She said with disgust, causing Misty to turn her nose up.

"Then what are you doing with him?"

"Unfortunately, I also joined the Ultra Beast division of the International Police and ended up paired with him. I don't regret many decisions in my life, but that is certainly one of them."

Misty nodded as she leaned back against the tree.

"He does seem like a pain to be around. Miss Ketchum was kind enough to let him sleep on her couch and give him dinner, and he didn't even thank her."

"Yes, he does seem like an unpleasant human." A third female voice commented, which Misty and Anabel nodded in agreement with before they stopped and looked at the newcomer.

Standing next to Misty, standing at least a good head or two taller than her even while relaxed, was Suicune, her ribbons flowing freely in the wind as she watched the man curiously. After a moment of silence, Misty just shook her head.

"Since when could you talk? You didn't talk. Right?" She asked tiredly, causing Suicune to chuckle deeply.

"No, I can talk. Always could. As can my two brothers, as it turns out. We just don't usually talk to humans because we're… what's the word? Antisocial?"

At this moment, a green head popped out of her mane, waving a vine at Misty before hoisting himself down, carrying his own body and his egg.

As Bulbasaur found his footing, and seemingly thanked Suicune as she nodded to him when he growled at her, two massive shapes leaped over the pair, landing heavily on the floor and digging up several small trenches of dirt with their paws as they skidded to a halt.

By this point, everyone else had spotted the commotion, and Ash was busy running over.

"Hey! Suicune!" He greeted, before he spotted Bulbasaur next to her. "Bulbasaur!" He yelled ecstatically, scooping up his first grass type in a tight hug.

"I'm so happy you're ok." He said quietly as he continued to squeeze Bulbasaur, who returned the hug with his vines.

As the two hugged it out, the others began to climb off the Beasts they had travelled on. Infernape leaped off of Entei, sharing a respectful gaze with the Fire Legendary while Gliscor pushed herself off Raikou and into the air, gliding away from everyone.

And towards Ash.

Bulbasaur, who saw her coming, was smart enough to push Ash away from him before she could get both of them.

Gliscor rammed into Ash, dragging him to the floor and wrapping her claws tightly around him while Suicune lowered her neck down, allowing Popplio to hop off.

Which made one trainer's day.

"Popplio!" Lana screamed, running across the field to scoop up her partner in her own vice-like hug, which Popplio returned with his flippers.

Anabel smiled as Misty ran a hand through Suicune's mane, with Suicune looking especially proud of herself. After a few moments of reuniting with his other Pokémon, Ash finally turned to address Suicune and the other Legendary dogs themselves.

"Thank you. You have no idea how grateful I am for you bringing back even a few of my Pokémon. How did you find them?"

"Well, I must admit, it was pure coincidence." Suicune admitted with a shrug, "but since I was looking for you anyway, I decided that I could be somewhat courteous and offer a lift. A small favour, and one I'm happy to grab."

"But not the reason for our coming!" Entei boomed, his voice causing everyone to jump, before Raikou slapped him with his paw.

"Entei! Indoor voice when speaking to humans. You know that." He scolded, which Entei nodded bashfully to. After shaking his head, Raikou carried on.

"As my _loud_ brother was saying, we were not coming here for a mere visit or for a small favour. We came, because after much deliberation, that you deserved our gifts."

Ash blinked at this, eyes darting upwards momentarily as he wracked his memory before speaking.

"Ok, why? I understand why most other Legendaries might want to give me gifts, and I can even understand Suicune to an extent. I helped them out, as much as I could, and they think I deserve a reward. But what did I ever do to deserve any sort of reward from you two?"

The two Legendary beasts shared a brief smile, while Suicune simply sat down with a smug look on her face as she watched her two brothers.

"Well, truth be told, you have helped us. Just not directly, like you have our sister." Raikou began, with Entei nodding to the point.

"Us Legendary Beasts are given life and purpose by our Lord Ho-Oh. When this happens, we are charged with a duty of keeping our region secure and safe, allowing our Lord to work on other matters. We are charged with keeping Johto safe, and there are a few other versions of us who watch other regions."

Ash nodded at this, as he thought about his other encounters with Legendary Beasts.

"That sounds like it makes sense. Explains the shiny versions of you I've seen before in Sinnoh at least."

They nodded at this, before Entei began to continue their story.

"But while you were travelling through Johto, you helped out multiple times across the region, dealing with multiple issues and helping several people that we could never have intervened with. Your presence improved the overall safety of the entire region by proxy. Which is something we are grateful for."

"As a result, we'd like to express our gratitude, in the hopes that it helps you to continue to be a positive influence on the regions around you as you travel. So, we give you our gifts, and through these gifts, our blessings."

Entei then reached into his mane, grabbing a folded-up piece of cloth with his mouth and bringing it over to Ash, who took it carefully and began unfolding it. As he unfolded it, he recognised it as a, seemingly plain, red t-shirt with a golden heart embraided into it.

"Put it on." Entei coaxed, which Ash obliged, taking off his short-sleeved jacket and his t-shirt in rapid succession, leaving himself bare-chested as he gently placed his clothes on a not so muddy patch on the ground. As he did this, the several girls watching the exchange took a double-take as they saw his chest.

He had chest muscles.

While he was, by no means, ripped, the shape of his pectoral and abdominal muscles was defined enough to be visible, probably a product of his several years of travelling. While they needed some more definition to really stand out, they were fairly impressive as it stood.

Which caught several of the girls by surprised.

"Did Ash have those muscles when you two travelled together?" Lana whispered to Misty and May, which Anabel listened in to intently.

The two, mostly unaffected, simply shrugged.

"No, not really. He was almost a bit chubby when I travelled with him." Misty said nonchalantly, with May nodding in agreement.

"I think they were starting to become defined when he was travelling with me. I think it was just his body trying to catch up with him. Did you know he once single-handedly carry an entire tree log by himself? I'm surprised his muscles aren't _more_ defined honestly."

Lana nodded at this, a slight red tint on her cheeks as she thought about what Ash might look like if he had bigger, more defined muscles.

Anabel was just drooling at this point.

After a few moments, Ash finally got the shirt on, and threw his jacket on over it.

"This is a nice shirt, thank you." Ash said as he looked at himself, rolling his shoulder to get a feel for the material.

Entei looked pleased with himself, holding his head up high and chuckling in a deep baritone.

"Do you want to know what the shirt does?" He questioned, smugly, causing Ash to look at him wide-eyed.

"The shirt does something?" He asked excitedly, causing Entei to deflate somewhat.

"You thought I, the Legendary Entei, capable of erupting volcanos with a single bark, would give the Chosen One a normal shirt as a show of thanks?"

"I mean, I guess? It's a nice shirt."

Entei just looked at him with a disbelieving stare, with the girls all laughing at Ash.

"It's nice to know he's still the same old Ash." May commented with Misty nodding through her laughs.

Entei just closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then unleashed a Flamethrower point-blank at Ash, cutting off everyone's laugher simultaneously.

"Ash!" They called out simultaneously, all reaching for their Pokéballs when Infernape launched forward, crashing into Entei with his entire body weight, knocking the large fire type to the ground and wrapping his arms around Entei's neck, holding it in a tight choke grip.

But as he restrained the large Legendary, the flames coating Ash died out and revealed that he was… perfectly fine. His eyes were wide, and he had his arms covering his face as he breathed rapidly, before patting himself down as he realised, he hadn't been burnt to a cinder.

"How…" Ash asked, as Infernape released his grip on Entei, who rose up majestically like nothing had happened.

"That, Chosen One, is made from furs from my own mane. Highly flame-resistant, near impossible to set alight, and gives you an invisible aura which protects you from my natural element. But be warned, it only protects you from _my_ element, and it doesn't give you immunity. If I kept that flamethrower consistent, you would have eventually fallen to the flames."

Ash pulled at the shirt again, feeling it between his fingers with a newfound appreciation for the fabric currently covering his chest.

"My turn." Raikou stated, stepping forward and baring one of his teeth. He then used it to fish in his own mane, before hooking a chain and dragging it out of his mane, revealing a necklace, which he gave to Ash.

The necklace had a plain silver chain, which looked fairly generic. What made it stand out, however, was the fact that the main part of the necklace was one of Raikou's massive fangs.

"As you may have already guessed, my gift works similarly to my brother's, but I'll spare the demonstration. This tooth contains some of my essence and will allow you to shrug off even intense electrical currents. From the rumours I've heard about your partner, I imagine this will come into use fairly often."

With this, Raikou stepped back, content with his short explanation.

"My brother isn't one for words," Suicune explained as she took a step forward, before nudging Ash with his muzzle.

"Please hold your hands out for me." She instructed, which Ash did dutifully.

With his hands now in front of her, Suicune closed her eyes, and her mane began to ripple with energy. Two pairs of long, royal blue ribbons began to unravel, growing in length by the second. As a few seconds, the ribbons had grown several meters in length, and were floating gracefully in a breeze which didn't exist.

Suddenly, as if they possessed a life of their own, the ribbons shot out toward Ash, wrapping themselves around both his outstretched arms and his legs, tightly constricting around his limbs before relaxing. As they ceased their wrapping, the loose ends, which were roughly a meter long each, began floating behind him, giving him the appearance of standing in a breeze, even though it was a warm evening with very little in the way of wind.

Ash looked at the wrappings slowly, taking the time to notice how they seem to sit comfortably, feeling nice and soft on his skin. Which Suicune smiled at.

"Unlike my brothers, I put a bit of a personal touch to mine. While wearing those, you will posses the power of the North Winds themselves. You can run faster, move lighter on your feet, and even dart across the waves like I do. I know you are not commonly associated with grace, so hopefully these will help you to make up in that regard."

Ash looked at the wrappings again, his breath all but gone. He then looked up at Suicune, Entei, and Raikou, feeling breathless.

"Thank you. I, I have no words to say, other than to repeat myself." Ash admitted with an embarrassed chuckle, which the Beasts nodded to. They then bowed, stood up, and began to bound away, each leap allowing them to quickly disappear as they ran into the distance.

Or rather, _two_ of them stood up and left. Suicune stood stoically, watching her brother leave with an impassively look on her face.

"Aren't you going to leave as well Suicune?" Ash asks with a concerned look, causing Suicune to look at him with a warm motherly smile.

"Well, to my reckoning, I'm not quite done with my gift." She explained before licking Ash's hair, neatening it up somewhat and causing Ash to recoil before continuing.

"Unlike my brother's, I've seen your adventures. What happens during them, what you go up against, and what you're willing to risk. It is my belief that you need some assistance in these matters, which is what the rest of my gift will help with." She explained, causing Ash to look at her in a confused matter.

"You don't have to do that, this is more then enough. Whatever it is, I think you should keep it. You've given me too much as it is."

Suicune simply smiled and shook her head.

"I'm afraid you don't have a say in the matter Ash, especially not after the effort I went through trying to convince Kurt to make this for me." She said as she pulled out a small orb from her mane, handing it to Ash.

It was a royal blue Pokéball, with every aspect of the ball from the line separating the two halves, and the main parts of ball sharing this same colour. It also smelled of salt, like it was dipped in the ocean.

"What kind of Pokéball is this?" He asked, which Suicune smirked at.

"It's a cherish ball, which I made especially for today's event."

"What event?" Ash asked as he looked up at Suicune, just managing to catch a glimpse of her poking the ball with her snout, allowing it to engulf her and bring her body into the small orb. After the ball shook in his hand, it then pinged, signifying a successful capture before it popped open, allowing Suicune to return to the spot where she was standing.

"My joining of your party, Ash. My abilities are at your service, be they for battle against your foes, or as a supportive figure. The pleasure is all mine."

Ash stared blankly at her, while Misty and Lana simultaneously fainted. As did Looker, way back in the background, causing Bulbasaur to chuckle.

"Welcome to the madhouse." He welcomed, as Suicune join in on the laughter, amused by the shocked humans.

* * *

Hey everyone, TWoS back with another chapter.

This chapter is a bit of a return to form. I haven't done any gifts for Ash in SOOO long. In a story where Ash is meant to be getting gifts. I kinda got distracted with all the groups, but since they're now coming together, I thought now would be a good moment to start giving the gifts again.

So, the Legendary beasts have come and gone. I had some trouble with their gifts, but I think they're pretty good. If you could give me some feedback on them, what you think of them, whether they're appropriate, or whether you simply liked them or not. I'm deadly curious to find out if they were any good.

The other segments are ideas I've been toying with for a while now. Building off the Ash fan-club I introduced in Kanto a few chapters back and with ICOP trying to cover up Ash's activities, it would make perfect sense for a conspiracy to be based around Ash. And who better than Conway to be the Pokémon world conspiracist? If you want me to continue exploring this, or for it to just remain a one-shot element of this story, please let me know.

Next, we have the professors interacting with Ash's Mum. No idea what inspired me to do this section, honestly, I just felt like including it. Nothing much to add really. I also wanted to spend some time with a few of the newer additions to Ash's team, Ralts and Larvitar. Ralts has had no time in this story so far, so I thought I'd start building her character now, and Larvitar needed a bit of shine as well. So, this little interaction was fun to write.

I'm kinda surprised at how long this chapter was. I didn't think it would reach this word-count, but I got a little carried away. I was planning on doing a big reveal to the story in this chapter, but I guess I'll save it for next time. Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter regardless.

Also, before I forget, I've been informed that there is now a TV Tropes page for this story, which is amazing. I'm not really sure how the site works, if I'm being honest, so I don't know whether you can edit it yourself if you have an account or whether the person who made it is the only one who can, but regardless, thank you to whoever it was who set it up. Go check it out.

As always, I really appreciate your support. Nearly TWO THOUSAND favourites, which is absolutely insane. So, thank you so much for that. As always, I look forward to reading your reviews and responding to them, it's always a joy to do. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did, or especially if you didn't, please let me know.

Anyway, that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, much love to you all and peace – TWoS.


	36. Chapter 36

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 36**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Ash took his hat off for a moment, wiping off the small beads of sweat that were beginning to form on his brow, as he took a moment to take in the view and digest what had just happened.

After an eventful and emotional rollercoaster of a morning, the day had begun to turn around when the Legendary Dogs, spearheaded by Suicune, who Ash had met and fought alongside in the past, had shown up in his garden. Beyond knowing that a potential gift was imminent, something which gave Ash a strong sense of excitement and dread at the same time, they had also managed to find some of his estranged Pokémon, piecing together some of his family.

And now, he was watching those Pokémon interact with the others he still had with him at the moment, focusing especially on Bulbasaur, who was walking around and introducing Suicune properly to everyone, while also reminding them to have _some_ manners (or as Bulbasaur put it, 'dignity') when interacting with a powerful and esteemed Legendary.

Suicune looked very amused, nonetheless.

As Ash looked over the vast group of Pokémon, he began to frown, and turned toward his house and walked into the kitchen, where his Mum and the two Professors were currently talking about something over tea (something about 'observation skills' and 'crushes', Ash wasn't really listening. He quickly rummaged in one of the drawers and found his Mum's notebook, and quickly flipped it to a new page as he walked outside.

He began counting the Pokémon he had present with him that were his, writing their names down on the page to keep track. After adding all the Pokémon present, all seventeen of them, to the list, he then began mentally recounting all the other Pokémon he currently knew the whereabouts of.

Sceptile was leading a small group with Blaziken to Pewter City where they were going to try and get Brock to safety. Sceptile was with Greninja and Primeape, so that was another three of his Pokémon.

Mew and Poipole, who Ash was still trying to believe had let him catch them, had gone off somewhere without telling him, but were still apparently nearby so were safe. Ash didn't know what to think about Poipole, what with her being an Ultra Beast. From watching her interact with Mew and how she seemed to idolise him, according to Meganium who had seen them playing together before Ash had arrived, Ash decided that she wasn't a threat. But that didn't mean her presence, and his recent capture of her, didn't weigh heavily on his mind.

Latios, Talonflame, Heracross, and Rowlet had been sent to the airport to meet Iris, who had discovered some of his Pokémon wandering near the peak of Twist Mountain and was now flying with them to Kanto so they could be reunited with him. According to Iris, with her were Charizard, Eevee, Dewott, Muk, and Krookodile. That brought the total number of his Pokémon he knew the whereabouts of to thirty-one.

Ash also knew he had sent his Tauros herd stampeding across Kanto. They had, by doing the same thing throughout Johto, managed to find a good twenty or so people, including himself. While Ash doubted that they'd be as successful in this attempt, he figured it'd be worth it just for the simple fact that they _might_ find someone.

Besides, he knew that the Tauros enjoyed going on stampedes, so this was a good opportunity for them to stretch their legs.

As Ash added Tauros to the list (simply writing it once and adding a little 'x30' for convenience's sake), he flipped over to a new page and began writing all the Pokémon who **weren't** accounted for.

While Ash had taken his time writing the first list, this one took only half the time, even with the large number of names to add onto it. And once he was finished, he began counting the names, a sombre look becoming more and more prominent as he continued to count.

Twenty-seven. Twenty-seven members of his family were unaccounted for. Twenty-seven Pokémon who had had a responsibility to care and look out for, were currently who knows where and, for all he knew, were in major peril or seriously injured, and he couldn't do a damn thing about it.

Including Pikachu.

Pikachu, Ash's first partner, and best friend, was currently lost in the world, potentially alone, and possibly still injured from the fight with the Ultra Beasts.

Guilt began to pang in Ash's heart, as he realised just how bad the situation was. And here he was, having spent the last twelve hours either sleeping or training, and he was no closer to finding him.

Ash didn't even realise he had scrunched up the piece of paper until he felt something tugging on his trouser leg, bringing him out of his internal despair. And when Ash glanced down, that despair temporarily faded to the back of his mind.

Looking up at him with curious eyes, which Ash noticed had the same hue as a freshly bloomed rose, was the recently hatched Mawile. She was tilting her head slightly, silently observing Ash as he began to smile at her.

"Hey there, what're you doing?" Ash cooed, placing the notepad next to him as he bent down, sliding his arms under her armpits and lifting her onto his lap.

With her placed onto his lap, she began to readjust herself, getting comfortable while Ash looked her over, something he neglected to do properly earlier. While he had made sure that she had hatched safely and was in good health, he hadn't really done much more. When she had hatched, they were still on the move to Pallet Town, and so he had put it off. After they had arrived, Ash had quickly made sure everyone there was alright before heading up to his room to crash out. Meaning he had inadvertently neglected to spend some proper time with Mawile.

Ash frowned, frustration at himself beginning to form. Sure, there was a lot going on at the moment, all of which took up a lot of his attention. But that wasn't an excuse to neglect a recently hatched Pokémon who needed to spend time with him.

Ash began to get even more frustrated with himself as his thoughts drifted to Lugia. She had only hatched yesterday herself, and while Ash had spent some more time with her, particularly after Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza had left, it wasn't nearly enough. And now she was somewhere out there in the world, possibly alone.

Ash shook his head, trying to dispel the negative thought. It was unlikely that she was alone, since everyone else they had found who had been teleported by Hoopa had been part of at least a small group, meaning that Lugia was almost definitely with someone, and Ash took some small level of solace in that.

Looking down at Mawile again, who was now leaning into his chest, Ash could only smile sadly.

"I guess I've not been doing a good job of giving you the attention you need, huh?" He asked softly. Mawile said nothing, simply leaning into his hand as he patted her head softly.

"Looks like I need to make up for that then. Hopefully we can find the others while we're at it."

"Just say the word and we'll do our best to help." A voice cut in, causing Ash, and Mawile, to look up in mild shock. The shock for Ash though faded quickly, for standing in front of him was Bulbasaur, now alone save for the egg which he refused to leave unattended. He was looking at Ash with a small fire burning in his eyes, waiting to be unleashed should Ash command it.

Ash could almost feel the heat from that gaze alone.

Despite the intense look on Bulbasaur's face, Ash's face began to softly, a grateful smile which quirked slightly in the corners of his mouth forming.

"Thanks, Bulbasaur, you have no idea how much I needed to hear that." Ash said, leaning forward to pat him.

But as Ash reached out toward the small Grass type, Mawile's second jaw sprang forward, nearly catching Bulbasaur's bulb in it's vice, which was saved solely due to Bulbasaur's well attuned reflexes.

Lifting her up so she couldn't try to bite Bulbasaur again, Mawile pulled herself closer toward Ash, glaring daggers at Bulbasaur all the while.

"Woah, looks like someone needs to work on their social skills." Ash remarked with a chuckle, as he wrapped one arm around the small fairy type. While there were at least a hundred things he needed to do to try and fix the predicament he was in, right now, he simply needed to be a good father figure to a, surprisingly hostile, baby Pokémon.

So that's what he started to do.

* * *

In the wastelands of a large asteroid, millions of miles away from Earth through the dimensional veil that existed between the Pokémon world and the Ultra Beast domain, existed a cave.

From the outside, it didn't seem like much, simply a small cave opening amongst several hundred, most likely leading to nothing more than a dark interior which might shelter you from smaller rocks and meteors hitting the asteroid as it travelled through the endless reaches of space.

But dare to head inside, and you'll find the entrance to a massive cavern, which went on for miles, farther than you'd think possible from such a small entrance. And within, there was a structure.

Carved from the same material of the cave was an improvised building, which curved upward in a spiral, it stood tall alone in the cavern, and had long since been hollowed out by the current inhabitants.

For this spiral had been claimed by the Ultra Beast Resistance.

Housed within the spiral was several dozen Ultra Beasts, all of whom were trying their best to try and stop the United Ultra Beast Horde from declaring full-scale war on the Legendary Pantheon that Arceus led.

And in one of the many rooms that made up the interior of the spiral base, one of the Resistance Leaders were speaking to two of their agents who had just returned from the Pokémon world.

"You pair of useless jelly-heads!"

Although, reprimanding was a more accurate description of the Leader's current talk.

"We send you three, along with a handful of well-versed warriors, to try and establish contact with the Great Defender, and possibly establish the groundworks for an alliance. We were to focus on being _friendly_ and earning the Great Defender's goodwill, before explaining the situation to him and trying to secure his help in either dealing with the Horde, or just to generally deescalate the situation. To prevent **war.** " The Leader, a Celesteela, ranted, pointing one of its detached stalk like arms at the pair of Nihilego, who were both making great efforts to avoid eye-contact.

" _Instead,_ " Celesteela continued, barely contained rage and frustration dripping off their words, "you decide to go and **kidnap** three of the Great Defender's companions, and fuse with them. Something which, due to our previous interactions with humans, tends to have negative aftereffects on their physical well-being. You then lie to his face, claiming that the act was somehow _necessary_ , before only giving him the slightest inclination of who we are and what we wanted to try and achieve."

"And now, because you two have been forced out of your fusions, and due to the Great Defender's Champions being more astute than you initially thought, the Great Defender is now **aware** of your deception." Celesteela paused, trying to compose themselves before continuing, with little success, "And right now, there is every possibility that the Great Defender, our **ONE** chance of stopping this entire catastrophe from unfolding, views us in the same light as the Horde, or potentially even a _worse_ light."

"Have I missed anything, or have I fully accounted the full list of your failings?" Celesteela, leaning in as much as possible to close the space between themselves and the Nihilego.

Both Nihilego stayed as silent as the grave for a moment, leaving the background sounds of the base's activity to fill the room as awkwardness grew. After swallowing down their fear, one of the Nihilego spoke up.

"Well, our third agent is still on the field and is still with their chosen target, currently interacting with members of the Great Defender's team as we speak. So, we still have a potential lead."

Celesteela stared blankly at the Nihilego, biting their lower lip in mild contemplation before simply closing their eyes in acceptance.

"Well, at least your information is accurate. Tell me, which companion did your comrade forcefully take into their own form?"

Nihilego gulped, or at least to the most extent that a jellyfish reminiscent Ultra Beast could gulp, as Celesteela's glare bore into them, and simply carried on, trying to not lose their composure in front of their commanding officer.

"Serena, the older female companion that the Great Defender travelled with throughout the region known in the Pokémon world as 'Kalos'. She was designated as a good piece to secure due to her being the one to come closest to being what humans would refer to as a 'partner'. Current situation of Serena, as well as our fellow agent, is currently unknown."

Celesteela nodded, still trying to glare into the Nihilego's soul when a Pheromosa, another agent of the Resistance, burst through the door.

"The Blinding One is awakening! They're gaining consciousness as we speak!"

Celesteela quickly rounded on the newcomer, the two Nihilego temporarily forgotten as panic began to set in.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Celesteela yelled, "Begin preparing for containment! So long as we draw breath, the Blinding One **cannot** reach Earth!"

* * *

Lusamine winced as she placed another icepack onto her head, having just replaced the last one which had melted.

After being hit in the head with some form of metal box, Lusamine had been having a **killer** headache. It seemed to throb in response to the smallest of noises, and since her interaction with the intruding Pokémon, there had been a lot of noises.

Most of them from her incompetent workers.

Despite being in a literal island base, with security guards scattered across the place to ensure every part of the facility was kept secure from any possible thieves or intruders, somehow a small group of bizarre Pokémon managed to not only sneak into her base but had managed to do literally _everything_ possible to ruin her life.

They had freed their captives who would have provided information on the Ultra Beast incursion that had happened this morning.

They had allowed her Ultra Beast, her **FIRST! LIVE! SPECIMEN**! to escape her grasp.

And they had rescued the Legendary Hoopa, who would have opened up endless possibilities into teleportation technology, leaving her with nothing for all her efforts, save a possible concussion.

And now she had just dealt with Faba having a panic attack about their secret research being exposed to the general public and the International Police for the past few hours, driving her to her wits end.

So now, she was sitting in her office, trying to calm herself so she didn't just scream into the quiet room out of pure frustration.

However, as she leaned back to stare blankly at the ceiling, she noticed a familiar sound begin to come to life in her room. Her computers and monitor, which currently had been sitting idly on her desk, were beginning to start themselves out, their constant humming filling the room with constant background noise.

Her curiosity peaked, she looked down at her screens, wondering how they had managed to turn themselves on. While it was possible to turn them on remotely, as would be expected from the quality technology that her foundation used, there had been nothing to trigger them into starting up.

So why were they on?

Before she could reach down to unplug the infernal thing, a symbol appeared on her triple-monitor set-up, a symbol appeared on the screens. It wasn't an extravagant symbol by any means, but it was a recognisable one, and one that made the hairs on Lusamine's arm stand up as she looked at the lone letter which made up the symbol.

On her screens, was a blank background, with a single red 'R' dominating each screen.

The middle screen then began to fade out, being replaced with a video feed, and bringing her face to face, virtually, with one of the world's top criminal masterminds.

"Giovanni." Lusamine greeted, her tone not betrayer the sense of unease she felt at being contacted by the dreaded team boss.

"Miss Lusamine," Giovanni returned with a slight curtsy, smiling politely as he leaned back in his chair. "My apologies for contacting you in this way, but I'm sure you understand that I must have plausible deniability of this conversation ever happening, and this was the only way to secure that deniability."

Lusamine squinted at him, removing the icepack from her head and placing it next to her monitors.

"And why exactly would _you_ need to be able to deny this conversation? I'm not on the International Police's Most Wanted list, so I must wonder what need you have to cover your tracks."

Giovanni smiled at Lusamine, nodding slowly at her, almost condescendingly as his smile grew wider.

"An astute observation Miss Lusamine. I can see why you've been able to get where you are now. However, what I'm about to say is highly confidential, and the ability to erase any information about this endeavour if you choose to not humour me is paramount to my success. So, will you hear me out?"

Lusamine pursed her lips slightly, instinctually despising the man due to his arrogant nature, but, despite her better judgement, she couldn't help but be curious about what it was he wanted to say.

"Alright, I'll hear what you have to say. And if I don't like it, then I'll simply broadcast this link to the International Police so they can trace your signal and arrest you. So, keep that in mind." Lusamine threatened, a confident smirk on her face.

But Giovanni kept smiling regardless.

"Oh, will you now? See, I don't think you'll want to do that, not since I'm currently looking at a screen with all the illegal experiments you've done on Pokémon behind your Aether Foundation front, and am currently just a button press away from sending it to the same International Police, who will then be able to shut down your entire organisation in one fell swoop. And we don't want that, now do we?"

Lusamine felt her smile disappear, being replaced by a glare.

"What do you want?"

"Well, I understand that you're a researcher at heart, and are interested in these… Ultra Beast, creatures. The information you've already gathered is incredibly fascinating, and I'm interested in pledging some of my resources into furthering this research."

Lusamine felt her frown turn into a confused brow furrow, as she looked at the experienced businessman who was interested in supporting her illegal experiments.

"I'm surprised you're interested in the Ultra Beasts, if I'm being honest. Team Rocket don't seem like the bunch to have any interest in science and research. Just money."

Giovanni nodded, this time with no condescension and with total agreeance, as he looked off to the side.

"True, my organisation mainly focuses on financial gain. It is the true power in this world after all. However, I firmly believe that there is a good deal of power to be found in knowledge, so I try and invest my money into endeavours which will allow me access to this power."

"So, you want the power of the Ultra Beasts for your own then? That's your reason for financially supporting my research?" Lusamine question, which Giovanni shook his head at.

"Not exactly. While there is truth in that, it's more complicated. I'm sure you're aware of the multiple Legendary appearances in Alola as of late?" He questioned, which Lusamine nodded at, prompting him to continue. "Well, I wish to acquire the power of the Legendaries, something which will give me unchallenged power throughout the world. However, I worry that the power of Team Rocket alone won't be enough to secure it, leading me to the inevitable conclusion that, simply put, I need outside help."

"So, here's the deal I wish to propose. Your research into the Ultra Beasts has prompted several developments into technology which could, if adapted properly, contain and harness the power of the Legendaries. So, I want you to focus your efforts on making those developments, and I want you to use your connections with… Team Skull, are they called?"

Lusamine balked at this, her eyes widening in shock.

"How do you know about them?" She questioned, causing Giovanni to chuckle.

"I have eyes and ears everywhere, even out in Alola. I'm well aware of your connection to a certain Mr Guzma of Team Skull, and your agreement with him. I can appreciate the use of external thugs for your heavy lifting. Crude, but highly efficient, so I commend you for that. But I want you to use your band of thugs to test these developments on your local Legendaries. Once we know they work, I'll have these shipped out to my men to begin capture of other Legendaries."

Lusamine considered this, as the implications ran through her mind and she weighed up her options. She needed to make the most of this situation, no matter what.

"And beyond financial support, what can I expect in return? Because I'm sure you have something more substantial to offer me than money."

Giovanni smirked, this time in victory. He had her hooked, and they both knew it.

"Well, as I said, my interest is in the Legendaries. So in additional to the financial support of Team Rocket to further your research, any Ultra Beasts we secure will all be the property of the Aether Foundation. They're undoubtably an interesting avenue to explore, but I've got my sights set on a larger prize."

Lusamine felt her hand twitch at the offer, as realisation hit her. Team Rocket, for the most part, was renowned for being able to secure all kinds of Pokémon. She remembered seeing in the news that, in Unova, they had managed to secure **four** Legendaries. While they were undoubtably terrible people, they were good at what they did.

And she could use that to get a large number of beautiful Ultra Beasts for her collection.

Giovanni leant forward in his seat, his smile now akin to a Cheshire cat.

"So do we have a deal?"

Lusamine didn't hesitate to agree, much to Giovanni's satisfaction.

"Welcome to Team Rainbow Rocket, I'm confident that we're going to achieve _great_ things together."

* * *

Ash smiled as he watched Mawile sitting with Bulbasaur, who was busy showing her several different household items with his vines.

After a little bit of reassuring, Ash managed to convince Mawile that Bulbasaur was a friend, and that he wasn't going to take Ash away from her. While she wasn't the most outgoing Pokémon, being rather shy around the other Pokémon, Bulbasaur's patience was able to allow him to find something that allowed the two of them to bond.

And that was human items, surprisingly.

After walking past one of the plant pots that Ash's mum had placed in her item, Bulbasaur had began to show her plenty of human items, all of them catching her attention entirely. After being shown a fork, she had refused to let it go, much to Ash's amusement and Bulbasaur's (and Delia's) chagrin.

But regardless, Mawile had begun to open up to Bulbasaur. She was still somewhat hostile to other Pokémon, but she was no longer attacking them, not after Ash had scolded her for nearly attacking Bulbasaur earlier. So that was an improvement.

As Ash watched the two shift through the human items that Bulbasaur had gathered to show her, something in him told him to watch out. It was something deep in his gut, telling to duck into cover, but he couldn't figure out why.

As Ash dwelled on this, he completely missed the shadow that had began to form above his head. And the fact that it was slowly growing larger by the second.

Before Ash could even figure out what was happening, he was suddenly glomped by Muk, his entire body smothering Ash as he was given a massive bone-breaking hug.

"Muk? Where did you come from?" Ash half shouted as he tried to manoeuvre himself a little bit and give him some air, only encouraging Muk to hug him harder.

"Did you honestly forget that you sent us to get picked up? Are you an idiot or something?" A female voice shouted from above, who simply stopped struggling against Muk and chuckled to himself. He then looked up and saw the massive aerial party that had just arrived.

Above him were roughly half a dozen flying Pokémon who were all coming in to land, with at least half of them with a passenger on their back. And leading the flock was Iris, riding on the back of her Dragonite with a cocky smile on her face as she dismounted, dropping about ten feet before landing in front of Ash.

Finally releasing him from his hug, Muk allowed Ash to get up, who then looked Iris dead in the eyes with a blank face, with her returning the look.

"Iris."

"Little kid."

After a few seconds, they both burst out laughing, before closing together for a hug.

"It's good to see you Ash." Iris admitted, pulling away from their embrace

"Same here. Especially since you've helped me out massively." Ash replied, as he watched Krookodile, rather humorously, try to climb off the back of Latios; the only one strong enough to carry him.

A thud from behind him prompted Ash to turn around, only to be greeted by a stream of flame and a deep, hearty laugh.

"Hah! I've missed that. It's good to see you Ash, especially in one piece." Charizard greeted, with Eevee being held protectively in his arms, who was wagging his tail happily as he watched the interaction play out.

However, when the flames died down, Charizard was… mildly shocked to see that Ash was perfectly fine. Didn't even have any soot on him.

"Ok, what is this? I don't like it." Charizard questioned, causing Ash to smile.

"Entei came and gave me a fire-resistant shirt. It protects me from most fire attacks. Neat, huh?" Ash explained, causing Charizard to frown.

"I'll repeat: I don't like it."

Ash just shook his head, before his stroked Eevee on the head.

"Good to see you too mate." Ash said tiredly, as he turned to watch the others land.

With the new additions to the party, everyone was now crowding around the landing zone, greeting the new arrivals or checking in on the returnees. Iris had, somehow without Ash seeing, made her way other to the other girls who were present, who were all relaxing on Ash's back patio, greeting Misty and May jovially, and introducing herself to Anabel and Lana. And this interaction was also being watched by both Paul and Sophocles, who had, rather surprisingly, been getting along well with each other, having what Ash assumed were smart debates about Pokémon training and efficiency.

As Ash watched everyone interact, his attention was drawn away by a slight tapping on his shoulder, and he turned to see a familiar blue Legendary hovering behind him, looking rather sombre and… apologetic?

"Hey Azelf, what's the matter?"

Azelf simply looked at Ash, taking a brief moment to compose herself before speaking.

" _I'm aware that everyone is not yet here, but I cannot wait any longer, for I fear I may take the opportunity to be a coward if I do."_ She started, causing Ash to tilt his head at her, confused even more than usual.

Azelf steeled herself again, before looking Ash dead in the eye.

" _I'm going to tell you why the Ultra Beasts are declaring war on the Legendaries. I only ask that you try not to hate us once I do."_

* * *

Hey everyone, TWoS here, and I'm not dead!

Sorry that this chapter took so long to be released, I've just been really busy recently. I just started a new full-time job, so I've been trying to settle into that, and as a result, I've not really been working on my writing as much. I'm beginning to get used to my new job though, so I'll be able to get back onto writing more chapters for this. I appreciate you lot sticking it out with me.

So, this chapter is mostly me trying to move the story forward a bit. I've realised that I've kinda been dragging certain elements out with little payoff, so I'm trying to push that forward now. It'll be a little reprieve from the gift giving, but I'm going to try and include a gift in the next chapter, so stay tuned for that.

I've also decided to spend more time with Ash this chapter. While I've enjoyed being able to jump from group to group, I feel that some focus needed to be returned to Ash: he is the main character after all. Hopefully you all like that, since I did enjoy writing the Ash segments in this chapter.

Anyway, I also wanted to quickly say thank you for all the reviews you left in the previous chapter. I was so shocked by the increase in number of reviews for it. I really appreciate it and am glad to see that you're happy with the return of the gifts. I'll be making it a more prominent part of the story again going forward, so hopefully you'll all enjoy that.

If you could leave me a response for this chapter as well, that would be great. I always enjoy reading the reviews and I try to respond to every one of them, since it is a joy to do so for me. Thank you for the continual support, especially since we recently hit **TWO-THOUSAND** favourites.

That's mental.

Thank you all so much for that support, it's amazing to me that so many people like my work. I appreciate it so much.

So that's it for now from me, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, much love to all of you lot, peace – TWoS.


	37. Chapter 37

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 37**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

Lana sighed as she wrapped her arms around Popplio tightly, losing herself to her thoughts while the other girls all engaged in conversation.

From what she had overheard, the new girl with the outrageous hair, which even had an Axew and Gible who seemed to live in it, was called Iris, and was a Dragon specialist in training who hailed from Unova. The girls who had travelled with Ash prior had started up a conversation with her fairly quickly, leaving Lana to assume that they had spoken before in the past.

Ash had said a while back that he tried to keep in contact with all his friends from other regions, maybe he meant that in more than a digital sense.

That sounded like fun.

Regardless, while Misty, May, and Iris were all sharing their frustrations with Legendaries with each other, Lana was left to her own thoughts. Anabel, the Frontier Brain and clearly very talented trainer to Lana's eye, had walked inside to inform Ash's mum that they had some new arrivals. Sophocles had made a friend, if you could call them that, with the grouchy rival of Ash's, the two last seen arguing about the merits of evolving Pokémon quickly or waiting, with Paul taking the position that evolving earlier was more beneficial to the power boost they received, with Sophocles arguing the point that unevolved Pokémon picked up new moves quicker.

Which left Lana alone to think.

Which she didn't mind by any means. Everyone had been very nice to her so far, with Misty, who Lana had been ecstatic to find out was a Water-type Gym Leader when they first met, being very open and receptive to her, even making a point to try and help Lana through the craziness that had been happening when she could. May, once she had recovered from the poisoning that the Nihilego possession had left her with, was also very friendly with her, and had even given her a few tips to balance elegancy and battle power.

Anabel and Paul had been less open to conversation, but were still accommodating, which Lana could appreciate. She could tell they were less social than Ash's other friends but based on how Paul was more than willing to try and protect their group when they had been lost in the forest, and how Anabel had silently been watching over the group to make sure they were coping fine; Lana could tell they still meant well.

But right now, everyone else was clearly busy with other things, which meant that they couldn't keep Lana involved at the moment. If their thought patterns were at all similar to Ash's, either Misty or May would realise that they hadn't introduced her yet to Iris and get her involved.

But for now, Lana was glad for the moment to think, as she took a step back from the group. She needed some time to digest.

Ash's life was absolutely unlike anything she had ever seen or even heard of before. The fairy tales she was told by her mother as a young girl couldn't even stand up to the things that had happened to Ash. And while she had seen her fair share of weirdness with him while they had been in Alola, she had never imagined something like this happening to her.

But now that it was happening, Lana realised how useless she had been the entire time: a bystander while extraordinary things happened. Back in Alola, when they had been warned of an imminent attack, Ash had gone out of his way to try and keep her and the other safe, and she had never felt more like a liability in her life.

The worst part was that, despite being a trainer herself, she couldn't have contributed even if she had the guts to try. Misty, a very powerful and talented trainer, a Water-type trainer as well mind you, had been clamouring to get back into the fight, and had the battlers to back up her resolve.

And Lana had just been scared.

She took a minute to breathe and collect herself a little bit.

Maybe she was being harsh on herself. After all, Kiawe had been the best battler in her social circle before she met Ash, and even he looked scared during that entire ordeal. So maybe her criticism of her fear was a bit unfair.

However, Lana knew that this wouldn't be the last time something like this happened. Arceus, they were still dealing with the fallout of that battle in that very moment, and if there was one thing that she knew: that was the fact that this wasn't over.

And she did not want to _ever_ experience that feeling of uselessness again.

A bark drew her attention from her thoughts, bringing her eyesight down to the Seal Pokémon currently in her arms. And based on the fire that was currently burning in her eyes, she was currently thinking the same thing.

Their shared moment of resolve was interrupted by a nudge to her side, causing Lana and Popplio to turn around.

And for both of their jaws to drop.

Sitting next to them, somehow managing to get there without either of them noticing, was Suicune, who was observing them with a critical eye. Though there was a slight smirk on her muzzle from Lana and Popplio's reaction.

Lana tried to say something, but found her voice lost to her shock, leaving her to make a few strangled noises in front of the Water Legendary.

Which seemed to be what broke the dam and cause the Legendary Beast to break out in laughter.

"Apologies, I don't mean laugh at you. It's just highly amusing to me how you humans react to my presence. Having three people faint due to my capture is a memory which will continuously warm my opinion of humans." Suicune explained, her laugh slowly dying down to a chuckle before managing to compose herself entirely, taking on a serious look again.

"But as to why I am here, I couldn't help but notice your moment of reflection, and was curious to see if there was anything I could do to be of assistance. A friend of Ash's is a friend of mine, especially if they understand which type is truly the best one." Suicune carried on, winking at the end which caused Lana to nervously chuckle.

"Thank you, I appreciate that but I'm not sure if you can help me. This is something I need to do myself," Lana responded, before Popplio barked at her. "With Popplio of course." She corrected, causing the Seal to nod confidently.

Suicune looked at the two for a moment, before looking Lana dead in the eye, appraising her momentarily before nodding.

"I respect your determination, especially when it comes to the desire to better yourself; be it as a person or as a trainer," Suicune started, causing both Lana and Popplio to stare at her in shock, wondering how she was able to figure out their inner-turmoil so quickly, "but remember this: you do not need to fight your battles alone. Ash understands this, which is why he makes a point of trying to get involved with his Pokémon. So that they never fight alone, physically or mentally. So, fuel the fires of your determination. Use it to push yourself further than you think possible; but don't do it alone."

Suicune then turned her gaze onto Popplio, the small Seal almost yelping from the intensity of the Legendary's gaze.

"As for your, I can see the potential within. The potential with which you could be a powerful combatant and worthy ally. And with it, I see the unrelenting resolve of the ocean, to protect your trainer and partner from the dangers of the world which would do its best to harm her. Use it, and remember, that _you_ have the capacity to be more."

Popplio stared up at the Legendary, her eyes sparkling with admiration. Setting her face with a determined scowl, the seal nodded, before a bright glow began to emit form her body, causing her trainer to gasp.

Her body began to grow, her tail becoming even longer and thicker with muscle, and her flippers became larger and more defined. The ruffle around her neck began to grow, and two new ones began to form, all while her ears began to lengthen and segment. When the glow dissipated, Popplio had become an all new Pokémon.

A fact which filled her trainer with joy.

"Popplio! You evolved into Brionne!" Lana shouted excitedly, tightly squeezing the larger seal while spinning around on the spot, all with a bemused Suicune watching the spectacle.

"So begins their transformation into a masterful trainer. May your journey be filled with success and happiness." Suicune muttered to herself, before she found her gaze being drawn to her new trainer, who was walking toward them with a sheepish looking Azelf behind him.

Which was an odd sight, since Suicune couldn't, in her experiences with the ancient Legendary, think of an instance where the Legendary looked sheepish.

"Come inside Suicune," Ash started, a trace of confusion in his tone, "Azelf has something she needs to explain to us."

* * *

Pikachu stretched his arms behind his back as he yawned, relishing in the slight tightness that the action gave his muscles.

It was just past midday in Altomare, and Pikachu and his companions were finally ready to move. They had gotten up early that morning and had begun preparations to travel. They didn't know where Ash, or _any_ of their companions were in the world, but they knew that it was possible to find each other. Their current group had started as three smaller groups due to Hoopa's interference; something which had seemed impossible at first.

All they needed was some determination, clever thinking, and patience. With those, they'd be able to reunite themselves with their family.

… the teleportation orb from Giratina was also helpful.

But for the past few hours that had made up their morning, the group had been stocking up on what they thought they'd need on their travels. The Altomare natives had been very helpful in that regard, showing them where they could get items and helping them get all the supplies they could need for their adventure.

It was also helpful that the one human who would be travelling with them, Lillie, had a very large bank account to buy all their supplies with. Incredibly helpful, really.

As for the Pokémon in their group, they mostly spent their morning preparing themselves mentally. With the humans and Latias (who wanted to spend some more time with Bianca before leaving) getting the items, they were left to prepare for any fights they would find themselves in.

And all of them were expecting a fight.

Even Snowy, who had never really been involved in battling like the rest of them, was preparing herself for a battle, growling to herself as she practiced her Powder Snow attack on a tree.

Pikachu smiled at the young Ice type, the sight of a young Pokémon becoming dead-set on becoming stronger and practicing their one, admitted weak, attack in an attempt to become stronger reminding him greatly of himself, way back when he was a little Pichu who only knew Thunder Shock.

Good times.

Pikachu then turned toward his own pup and smiled as he watched her sit silently in the shadow of a tree. Absol was naturally powerful, something which Pikachu was very proud of. However, her Disaster Sense meant it was easier for her to become distracted or disoriented during a battle if caught off guard. So currently, she was quietly meditating, or doing something similar to it at least, before throwing herself into something which could definitely count as a disaster.

As Pikachu nodded to himself, counting her off his checks, he turned to where Mewtwo currently was _actually_ meditating.

The Psychic Legendary, who still gave Pikachu a weird sensation of rage and sadness which he couldn't quite explain whenever Pikachu focused on him, was hovering above the small pond that took up the middle of the Hidden Garden, eyes closed as the water beneath him rippled.

Pikachu nodded, happy that the Legendary was also taking preparations for the journey ahead. He had been worried at first that the Legendary was going to be arrogant, assuming that his power alone would be enough, and that prior preparation would be unnecessary. It was reassuring to know that even a Legendary was taking their situation seriously.

Pikachu then quickly did a headcount, seeing who was in the garden and making a minor note in the back of his mind what each was doing. Not including himself and the three Pokémon he had already checked, there were eight Pokémon in the garden. Some of them, like Torkoal and Lapras, were resting, conserving energy for the potentially long journey ahead. Others, like Buizel, Lycanroc, Kingler, and Totodile, were all warming up; either by stretching like Pikachu or practicing their moves like Snowy. And finally, Steenee and Espeon, the ones still adjusting to the situation, were conversing, enjoying the moment of calm while it lasted.

Pikachu noted that Latias still wasn't in the garden, then realised that she was probably still with Bianca and Lillie, loading up their supplies.

Just as he thought that, the door to Lorenzo's house swung open, catching Pikachu's attention as she stepped out into the garden.

But she wasn't wearing the same outfit as she was yesterday.

Gone was the dress and hat that normally wore, and in its place an outfit a lot more reminiscent of a trainer. She was wearing a short-sleeved white jumper, and a short white skirt, both of which were much more practical for the adventure going forward, Pikachu noted with pride. She was carrying a backpack, which sagged heavily on her back, presumably due to the large number of supplies currently in it. And, Pikachu noticed with a smile, her eyes had never looked more alive, dead set with determination and vigour.

She was ready.

As she walked out, followed by Latias, who had just finished her _extended_ and _emotional_ goodbye with Bianca and Lorenzo, Snowy ran over to her, nudging her in the leg, prompting Lillie to pick Snowy up. Their eyes shared the same steely eyed determination, and they looked ready for whatever was going to be thrown at them.

'Good.' Pikachu thought to himself, as they walked over to the group. With everyone now present, everyone began to gather around to him, ready to begin their journey. Mewtwo floated over to Pikachu, and nodded a quick greeting, before setting down next to Pikachu. With everyone gathered, Pikachu cleared his throat and began speaking.

"Alright everyone, listen up: we're gonna start trying to find Ash and the others. We're going to be using this orb thing that Giratina gave us to travel through the Distortion World. And we're going to be going to places which hold some significance to Ash and seeing what we find. Any questions?"

Totodile raised one of his short arms, waggling it about before Pikachu pointed at him.

"Why those places? Why not places which is significant to Hoopa?"

"Because we have found three groups after being teleported away from Alola, and all of us were in places somewhat significant to Ash. My group was in Gracidea, Lycanroc's group was in the Hidden Village, and Mewtwo's group was here; in Altomare. Based on that, we can assume that we're gonna find more of us if we head to places that share that theme. Any objections."

Everyone shook their heads, satisfied with the explanation and not seeing the need to question further. But before Pikachu could use the orb, Mewtwo raised one of his hands to capture his attention.

" _Apologies, but before we begin our journey; may I request that we make a small stop? If we are going to find Ash, I would like to be prepared properly beforehand."_

Pikachu raised an eyebrow at Mewtwo, as he began to play with the dark ribbon that was tied to the crystal, as he gazed at the taller Legendary.

"Oh, and why is that? What do _you_ need to be prepared to meet Ash?" He asked, causing Mewtwo to sigh.

" _When I was summoned earlier, I was in the middle of my preparations to deal with Ash. The only reason I abandoned it was because I was informed that Ash's life was in danger. However, I've just been informed that those preparations have now been completed, so I wish to have that ready for Ash_ _ **before**_ _we find him. Would that be acceptable?"_

Pikachu kept a level face for a moment, seemingly mulling it over. After about a minute, he held out the orb, allowing Mewtwo to grab it.

"Sure, we can do that quick. Any gift from you is sure to be helpful, so we'll take it. I'm also _quite_ curious to see what you have cooked up."

Mewtwo smiled slyly at him, before holding out the orb in front of him, allowing it to activate and pulse in his grip, opening a rippling portal in front of him. He then motioned everyone to come closer to the portal.

" _I'm going to use my powers to carry all of the Pokémon, if you consent. If we do that, we'll be able to travel at higher speeds within the Distortion World. And for our human companion, Latias, would you be able to take her?"_ He asked, with Latias nodding as she dropped her disguise. _"Are there any objections?"_

No one voiced them if they had any issues, and Lillie, still carrying Snowy, wordlessly mounted Latias, with everyone else waiting patiently for Mewtwo. He then lifted his other hand, causing a blue glow to encase all of the Pokémon. Satisfied, Mewtwo turned back toward the portal.

" _Let's us begin."_

And with that, the group flew through the portal, with Latias throwing a quick final wave to Lorenzo and Bianca before the portal closed behind them, leaving them in the Distortion World.

In the Distortion World, they flew through the various floating Islands, all of them having warped and discoloured landmarks from their world jutting out from each of them. They flew quickly past, not sparing the landmarks any additional attention as they headed in what seemed like an aimless direction but was very intentional.

The orb, somehow, seemed to know exactly where the holder wanted to go, and did it's best to guide whoever was holding it to the right location in the Distortion World to open it, so that they ended up in the right place in the real world when they opened another portal. As of right now, a faint glow was emitting from the crystal, which would either increase or lessen as they went certain directions.

After a few minutes, the orb was glowing bright like a star, and that prompted them to land on the nearest Island. Once they landed, Mewtwo held the orb in front of him again, opening a second portal, which they all walked through.

They found themselves on top of a mountain, something which seemed to confuse Pikachu more than the others.

"Is this Mount Quena? What are we doing here Mewtwo?" Pikachu asked Mewtwo, who was scouring the landscape, looking for something.

" _This is the meeting point."_ He said, before smiling as he spotted something. Everyone soon started looking in the same direction as Mewtwo and were mildly confused by what they saw. But Pikachu understood, and his surprise was palpable.

"The other clones." He gasped, as the new group walked closer to theirs.

Walking toward them, having emerged from a nearby bush, was a wide variety of Pokémon, all of whom had slight markings on them which didn't look _completely_ natural to their species. In the group was a Pikachu, a Meowth, a Vulpix, a Scyther, a Rapidash, a Seadra, a Hitmonlee, and a Gyarados; which made them the second most mismatched looking group on the mountain.

Afterall, it's not like they could match or excel the weirdness of the group which had just travelled through the Distortion World like it was a casual occurrence.

Mewtwo nodded at him, a small, somewhat sad, smile on his lips.

" _Indeed, or at least those who were interested in my offer. It occurred to me that Ash accepted us, despite our nature as clones, with no issue last time we met. So, I spoke to all of those who used to live here and offered them an opportunity. Most declined, having set up their own lives in the wild; a choice I can respect. These eight in front of us are those who were interested, and we agreed to meet here after I psychically communicated with them this morning."_

Pikachu shot Mewtwo a confused look, his tail twitching slightly as his mind hyper focused on what Mewtwo just said.

"And what was this offer?"

Mewtwo just smiled, not looking at him as he continued watching the group, who were now only a few feet away. Seeing that Mewtwo wasn't going to answer, the Pikachu in the clone group opted to answer.

"He offered us the chance to join Ash's team. Is that alright?" He asked hesitantly, looking nervously at the other Electric type looked him over appraisingly. After a few seconds, and a quick smirk at Mewtwo, he smiled at the clone, holding a paw out.

"Welcome to the team."

* * *

Ash did a headcount as everyone began to settle down, a lot of murmuring and whispering to one another happening while Ash checked over everyone.

With Azelf seemingly set on telling Ash the truth behind the Ultra Beasts, Ash decided that he wanted everyone, or at least everyone that was currently here, to hear it as well, since they would need the information as well. This decision seemed to make Azelf a little uncomfortable, but she didn't object.

Ash didn't like how the reveal of this information, whatever that information entailed, was able to make the embodiment of willpower itself hesitant to commit, but he couldn't spare Azelf from the situation. He **needed** to know what was going on.

And he reasoned that, since it involved everyone else as well, he had begun to gather them, making everyone gather in the immediate garden to his house so they could listen to whatever it was Azelf had to say. Everyone was currently settling down, sitting next to people or Pokémon they got along with so they could, most likely, whisper to one another. Ash noted that even Looker was listening in, though for some reason that Ash wasn't aware of, he was keeping his distance, just at the edge of hearing distance from the group.

With everyone gathered, Ash nodded at Azelf, who simply took a deep breath before speaking, causing everyone to go silent as she did.

" _Before I begin my tale, I have a small request: save your questions toward the end. It is a long story, and one which I imagine will entice some strong emotions from various members of this group. So, to ensure I can get this story told quickly, I kindly ask if you could wait until the end."_

Everyone hesitantly nodded at this, a general sense of unease in the group. Ash quickly walked over to Suicune, who was sitting next to Lana and Brionne, before whispering a question to her.

"Do you know what Azelf's about to tell us?"

She simply shook her head, before replying.

"I'm afraid not, I'm much too young to have been present for these events, and I've never been told the story. I imagine its one that isn't discussed often."

Ash nodded, before taking a seat next to his mum and Misty, who were both paying apt attention as Azelf started her story.

" _This tale begins at the conception of this world. As I imagine you know by now, this world was created by Arceus. But this is not the only world she has created. In fact, this isn't even the first world she's formed. It was the second. Her first world was made hundreds of years beforehand, far away from here in a different galaxy orbiting a far-flung star. This world, was the home of the Ultra Beasts."_

Everyone tensed at the mention of the Ultra Beasts, with a few growls sounding out to underly the tense atmosphere, but no one said a thing.

" _The Ultra Beasts are, from a technical standpoint, also Pokémon. Arceus wanted to create multiple forms of life, and have them populate various worlds in the universe, and the Ultra Beasts are simply other creations that were formed and changed by the environments that they lived in. They were originally not too different from Pokémon but did not have Legendaries to help form their world into the beautiful place that this world has become. Regardless, they thrived, and were content with their lives."_

" _However, unlike this world, theirs was inherently in danger, due to the positioning of their world. Their orbit put their home planet in the path of an asteroid field, as well as other cosmic threats. The Ultra Beasts feared that this would lead to their world's destruction, and begged Arceus to do something… and she did."_

Everyone shared a similar look to one another, the last statement catching their interest. Arceus actually _did_ something.

Ignoring their looks of confusion, Azelf pushed on.

" _While this was happening, Arceus was creating the various Legendaries for this world, in order to keep balance. This world was originally quite unhospitable, and she wanted to morph it into something beautiful, leading to our creation. As she perfected this world, the Ultra Beasts begged her to assist them in some way. At that point in time, she had just finished creating the Alola region, and it's Legendaries. Including the Light Trio."_

Azelf then paused, closing her eyes in what seemed to be frustration, before picking up her story again.

" _The Light Trio were very powerful, but out of the three, there was one who was clearly strongest: Necrozma."_

Everyone began to whisper to each other, and Ash couldn't help but notice how Azelf seemed to be silently infuriated by the mere mention of the name, even taking a minute to compose herself before continuing.

" _As the strongest of the three, and capable of fighting in space, Arceus commanded Necrozma to travel to their world, and to destroy the asteroid field to a large extent so that it would never threaten the Ultra Beast's world again."_

" _Necrozma complied, and after travelling to the Ultra Beast's world, they completed their task, destroying scores of asteroids and saving their world from destruction."_

Everyone muttered in confusion, with the same question being asked: why did they hate Arceus if she helped them like they asked?

" _But there was something that Arceus didn't realise,"_ Azelf continued, _"and that was the effect of a foreign sun on Necrozma. The Light Trio all harness the power of light in one way or another, making our sun a natural reserve of power for them. They take the light within themselves and manipulate it as they need, with Necrozma being no exception. However, the foreign sun seemed to have effected Necrozma, and the continued exposure while destroying the asteroid field caused it to absorb excess amounts of light."_

" _With so much energy coursing through it, it corrupted Necrozma, clouding their mind and turning them into a power-mad entity. It became obsessed with light and destroyed any who it deemed a threat to its light. And in a haze of anger, decided the Ultra Beasts fell into this category."_

Realisation began to dawn on the group, the silence becoming sombre as they all pieced together what happened next.

" _Necrozma destroyed their world. Completely and utterly. All that was left was a scorched landscape, and a beaten species. The Ultra Beasts were forced to confront Necrozma with everything they had, and after a costly battle, succeeded in laying it low. After being heavily wounded, Necrozma fled into deep space, before entering hibernation. We haven't heard from Necrozma since."_

Ash raised a hand, causing Azelf to sigh.

" _What is it Ash?"_ She asked tiredly, while Ash rubbed his hands together.

"Well, I'm just wondering, why does that make them hate Arceus? I get why they would be mad, but surely Arceus would have done something to help fix it, right?"

Azelf shook her head, a lone tear being shed.

" _I wish it were so simple. And had the scenario been different, maybe it would have been. But at the time of this happening, Arceus was hit by the meteor, the act which she only survived thanks to Damos."_ Azelf explained, as Ash nodded, as his thoughts drifted back to when he first found out about that event.

" _Arceus was too wounded to do anything, so when the Ultra Beasts tried to contact her, pleading for help, she was unable to even respond. By the time her strength returned, the Ultra Beasts had grown angry, and attacked her in a moment of blind, thoughtless rage."_

" _Arceus, not knowing of what had happened to them yet, summoned the power of the existing Legendaries and laid waste to their armies, further diminishing their few resources. By the time Arceus was informed of what happened, it was too late. The Ultra Beasts had been ravaged, and their survivors were forced into hiding. Arceus, her pride too high to admit she had committed a serious mistake, simply left the survivors to their own devices, and then commanded those present, myself included, to never speak of the incident again."_

" _And now, thousands of years later, they have finally regained their strength, and they never forgave what we did. How could they, when they could not forget what atrocities had been committed to them."_

Everyone remained silent, the shock they felt being almost physically tangible as they sat there in utter silence. After a few minutes, and a constant layer of silence which was almost suffocating, Ash finally spoke up.

"Then what does this have to do with me?" He asked, causing Azelf, who was now on the verge of weeping, to force a smile.

" _Arceus is still deliberating on what to do in this situation, without causing further damage to their world or this one. And while she contemplated this issue, she came to a realisation: if they came to this world,_ _ **you**_ _would end up involved."_

Ash, and everyone present, frowned at this, while Azelf looked wistfully in the air.

" _Even if they weren't planning on attacking you like they had, such an event would undoubtfully end up catching your attention and putting you right in the line of fire. And Arceus refused to allow that to happen. So, she conjured up the Legendaries and put forth the idea that it was about time that you received gifts for your work as the Chosen One. For those who didn't know about the Ultra Beasts, it was a good opportunity to thank you for what you had done. For those who did, it was a plot to either protect you or distract you from the conflict, keeping you safe; one way or another."_

She then scoffed, as she shook her head disapprovingly.

" _As you can tell, we weren't very successful."_ She muttered quietly, more tears falling down her face.

Everyone sat quietly, not sure how to follow up what had been revealed. Some people tried to say something, maybe crack a joke, ask a question, or simply fill the silence. But no one could find words to speak, and instead just sat there silently.

Ash, thinking over everything he had been told, just sat there, staring into space. The Ultra Beasts weren't bad guys. Neither group were. They were just a species who had been put through terrible events, and were expressing their anger in ways that, honestly, Ash could understand.

And he felt awful.

Which was when he decided what he was going to do.

He stood up, and walked over to Azelf, who was still crying to herself as she hovered there, her twin tails heavily drooping. When she noticed Ash standing in front of her, she flinched, before looking up at him.

Ash looked down at Azelf, his face utterly unreadable to the blue Legendary. She tensed her entire body, expecting Ash to explode in front of her, and she tried to prepare herself for what she rightfully deserved. But to her surprise, Ash just threw his arms around her, squeezing her tight.

"Thank you for telling me. I know it was hard for you, and I appreciate you filling me in. But if you still feel guilty, you can make it up to me by helping me fix this situation."

Azelf looked up at him in shock, as did everyone else who had overheard him. Turning on the spot, Ash clenched his fist and looked back at everyone.

"Guys, I know it's not going to be easy, and that we're most likely going to have to knock some sense into **both** sides, but how about it? Let's go end this war, once and for all."

Everyone then voiced their agreements, with these agreements ranging from a simple nods and simple voicing of their support, to full-on shouting and whooping, with a few attacks being fired into the air for good measure. Happy with this, Ash spoke up.

"This isn't going to be easy, as we're likely going to have to deal with irrationally acting Ultra Beasts and stubborn Legendaries, so we're going to need to get everything ready. We'll get some training done and get the whole team back together. Once we've done that, we can figure out what to do from there."

Everyone agreed to this again, this time with extra grit locked into their eyes and stances, something which gave Ash more confidence as he felt the wave of fiery determination wash over him. Boldened by this, Ash smiled and turned his hat backwards.

"Let's get started."

* * *

Solgaleo yawned as he stretched his legs, before plopping his body on the ground as he curled up on himself.

" _Must you do that?"_ Lunala asked incredulously, as she gazed through an orb that allowed her to observe Alola. Solgaleo simply shrugged, as he continued to make himself comfortable.

" _I figured since we're here to have a discussion, that we were going to be here for a long while. So, I'm getting comfortable. Fight me."_ Solgaleo explained, causing his counterpart to shake her head in frustration.

The two had met in a small secluded dimension in Ultra Space, which they had deemed a neutral space where they could converse and relax with one another whenever they got the opportunity. However, they didn't get many chances to do so, due to the constant requirements that managing both Alola and Ultra Space had for the duo. While having the Guardian deities watching over Alola meant that they only needed to check in occasionally, they still had their hands full.

But they had made an exception for this occasion, as the two had decided that they needed to discuss the latest presence in Alola, and what they should do, if anything, about it.

That presence, was the current Chosen One: Ash Ketchum.

Which led us to the current moment.

Solgaleo, from his spot, gazed over some of the small orbs which were scattered in their secluded space, all of which containing snippets of events that had happened in Alola, all of which involved the Chosen One.

And they were rather impressed with what they saw.

From how he helped Pokémon and other trainers, to his unwavering determination, and even his straight-up goofiness; the trainer from Kanto had managed to bring a smile to the two Legendaries, as they amusedly watched his adventures play out.

" _You know Lunala,"_ Solgaleo started, _"if those humans were to turn the adventures of this lad into a show of some sort, I think it'd be very successful."_

Lunala shook her head in exasperation, even if inwardly she agreed. She had just finished watching said Chosen One help a Litten through his period of grief and had found herself slightly moved by the compassion shown. He really was a remarkable human.

Before Lunala could say anything, the world around them began to distort, the orb that made up the walls of their dimension beginning to crack and creak, as if something was placing **tremendous** force against it.

The two sprang to their feet, eyes darting around the world to find the source, before homing in on a particular spot.

This particular spot was much more cracked compared to the rest of the miniature dimension and was beginning to distort and bend from whatever was trying to force its way into the dimension.

Before either of them could act, a massive pillar of light pierced through, blasting the pair of them away as the attack caught them off guard. Lunala took more of a direct hit, being flung back all the way to the other end of the dimension, crashing against the dimension's walls and adding new cracks to the already fractured edge of reality.

Solgaleo, having only been grazed with the move, managed to catch himself with his paws, slowly himself down before coming to a halt, and unleashing a roar at whoever fired the attack.

But halfway through the roar, he saw the one who had attacked them, and the roar died in his throat, turning into nothing more than a whisper.

" _Necrozma?"_

Holding open the hole that had been created by the Photon Geyser, was Necrozma, his massive claws steaming due to the massive amount of energy coursing through it. Its entire body seemed to course with unnatural light, and was convulsing, almost as if Necrozma was about to look sick.

But the part of Necrozma's body which really shocked Solgaleo was its eyes, which once were filled with mirth and wisdom, but were now hollow of that, and left with only rage and a hunger that couldn't be filled.

In all his years of existence, Solgaleo had never seen anything so terrifying.

Taking advantage of this lapse in concentration, Necrozma forced itself through the hole, and began darting toward Solgaleo.

Solgaleo managed to catch himself before Necrozma closed the distance, steeling himself and charging up an attack. Just as Necrozma came into close proximity, Solgaleo launched himself forward, striking Necrozma with a point-blank Sunsteel Strike, the resulting explosion filling the space with dust and dimensional fragments.

Landing on his paws, Solgaleo prepared himself for another attack, this time gearing up a Crunch attack to use on the Psychic Legendary.

Much to his, and the recovering Lunala's, shock, Necrozma had closed the distance, and grabbed the Sun Pokémon, preventing him from moving.

Before either of the two sane Legendaries could react, Necrozma began drawing power from Solgaleo, the light energy they all harnessed being pulled from his body. After a few seconds of doing this, Necrozma's body suddenly began to dissipate, leaving only the prism that made up its core as the only solid item, before the dark energy that the rest of its body had turned into began to swirl around Solgaleo.

As he roared in pain, the energy began to reform as parts of Necrozma's body. But now, these body parts were forming around Solgaleo, adding extra layers of crystalline armour to his body. After a few excruciating moments of bonding together, Necrozma's prism floated down to Solgaleo's head, which merged together once more.

Lunala stared in horror, as she looked at the abomination which stood in its place. It was clearly Solgaleo, but with Necrozma wrapped around it, refusing to let go. The new creature stood there silently for a moment, before turning to gaze at Lunala. And Lunala saw its eyes, the same eyes which momentarily put fear in her counterpart's heart and was currently sending chills down her spine. The same crazed, enraged, **hungry** eyes that Necrozma had were now on Solgaleo's body.

And they were focused on her.

Knowing she was outmatched, Lunala turned, opening a portal into Ultra Space and fleeing. Necrozma was more than a match for either of them as it was, but after having absorbed Solgaleo? She needed help, and she knew the Guardian deities would be able to assist her in defeating this fusion and freeing her counterpart.

If she could get to Alola.

An ear-splitting shriek sounded out, reverberating around the Ultra Space, causing Lunala to glance behind her. And she saw that Necrozma/Solgaleo was now in hot pursuit, and extremely worryingly, it was **gaining**.

Lunala forced herself forward even faster, doing her best to go as fast as she could go. She needed to get to Alola before Necrozma/Solgaleo could get to her. Not just for her survival, but potentially, for all of Alola.

Necrozma/Solgaleo shrieked again, and Lunala realised that she was thinking too small.

If Necrozma/Solgaleo got her, the whole world was at stake.

* * *

Hello everyone, I'm back, and I bet you weren't expecting me so soon.

I found myself wanting to work on this chapter quite a lot recently, what with it being such an important chapter and all. I was revealing a very important plot point after all, and I wanted to get it right.

Speaking of the important plot point, can everyone let me know what you thought of it please? I've been toying with this for literally ages now, and I've changed, rewritten, and rethought this reveal many times over the past several months, so I'm immensely curious to see how its received. So, if you could let me know, either through a review or a PM, I would greatly appreciate it.

But that wasn't the only thing that happened this chapter, and I'm quite happy with what happened. We got to see Lana's inner thoughts, and her start to becoming a serious player in this story. I've noticed that a lot of the Sun and Moon characters can't really add much to the story at the moment, due to not being strong enough at the point of the anime I chose to start this story at. So, I'm making a point of making them more involved, starting with their newfound resolve to help. And Lana's Popplio evolving just seemed appropriate.

Speaking of the Sun and Moon crew, we get to see Lillie, now ready to be a serious trainer, in her new outfit. Her and Snowy are ready to begin their path to be proper trainers, something which I'm kind of looking forward to. We also get to see Mewtwo's gift be revealed, something which I'm sure a lot of you may have questions about. For those who will inevitably ask: the reason I didn't give Ash all of the cloned Pokémon was for two reasons:

I didn't think all of them would want to, especially since some of them did have baby Pokémon if the special is anything to go by.

I didn't want to overwhelm the story with about twenty new additions. Eight seems much more manageable.

We also get to see the Blinding One be revealed. As many of you have figured out, Necrozma is going to be a big player going forward, and its starting out strong. And I've got plans for Necrozma. Evil plans. If any of you have experienced the hell that is battling Ultra Necrozma unprepared, then you're going to **hate** what I've got planned.

Also, I want to take this opportunity to update the current status of the groups, so everyone is more aware. So, this is what they're currently looking like:

 **Group 1:** Ash, Anabel, Sophocles, Misty, May, Paul, Lana, Iris, Goodra, Quilava, Larvitar, Mawile, Meganium, Ralts, Leavanny, Scraggy, Togedemaru, Pidgeot, Rotom-Dex, Unfezant, Snorlax, Staraptor, Azelf, Mew, Poipole, Charizard, Eevee, Dewott, Muk, Latios, Talonflame, Heracross, Rowlet, Bulbasaur, Egg, Infernape, Brionne, Suicune Delia, Looker, Professor Kukui, and Professor Oak

 **Group 2:** Sceptile, Blaziken, Greninja, and Primeape

 **Group 3:** Pikachu, Espeon, Absol, Buizel, Snowy (Lillie's Alolan Vulpix), Lycanroc, Kingler, Torkoal, Steenee, Latias, Mewtwo, Lapras, Totodile, Lillie, Pikachutwo, Meowthtwo, Vulpixtwo, Scythertwo, Rapidashtwo, Seadratwo, Hitmonleetwo, Gyaradostwo

 **Group 4:** Torracat, Lugia, Garchomp, Squirtle, Swellow, Glalie, Emboar, Seismitoad, Hawlucha, Kiawe, Dawn, Max, and Hoopa

 **Group 5:** Lucario, Servine, Donphan, Torterra, Noivern, Nihilego/Serena, Mallow, Cynthia, and Tobias

 **Group 6:** Butterfree, Noctowl, Gigalith, Corpish, and (other) Mewtwo

 **Group 7:** Tauros Herd

I believe I've covered everyone, though I may have missed an evolution or something. If I have, please let me know and I'll update the table.

Anyway, thank you all for the support as always. I greatly appreciate it. I look forward to reading your reviews to this chapter (and please leave them, I would really appreciate it), and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

That's probably going to be it from me for this month, so I'll see you sometime in October for the next chapter. Much love to you guys, peace – TWoS.


	38. Chapter 38

**Ash's Just Reward Chapter 38**

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

" _Entire sentence." = Psychic talking._

" **Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.**

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

* * *

May took a small sip of the tea that had just been handed to her by Delia, savouring the warm sensation that it brought as it travelled throughout her body. She then cradled the cup in her hands as she took a moment to let the warmth wash over her.

Delia, smiling at May as she slowly drank her tea, then went over to Misty and handed her a cup as well, before moving on to the next person. After a few minutes, she had managed to give out a cup of tea to each of the near dozen people all currently sitting in her garden, including the solitary, but apparently grateful for the tea, Looker.

Looking at the group, May couldn't help but muse on how much things had changed for her in the last few years of her life. Since getting her first Pokémon and meeting Ash. Ever since that moment, her life had ceased being normal, and nothing highlighted that like the company she was currently in.

As of this moment, she was currently sitting around a garden table with a Kanto Gym leader, a Frontier Brain, a top-ranking League participant, an up-and-coming Dragon tamer, a socially awkward and excitable genius, and a potential-filled Water trainer, who were all sitting across from two world-renowned Pokémon Professors who were sitting on the nearby back-porch of the house, with a (seemingly) agitated International Police Officer standing on the opposite end of the garden with one of the kindest woman May had ever met besides her own mother going to and from everyone to make sure they were all content.

And they were all currently watching their mutual friend training in the nearby field with his wide array of Pokémon, which included what she rationalised as godly embodiments of the world.

And somehow, this wasn't one of the weirdest moments in her life. Barely cracked her top ten. Which was bizarre enough in and of itself.

But regardless, she just continued to take small sips at her tea while everyone else talked, sharing their strange experiences to those that hadn't heard it before or catching up with those they hadn't seen in a while. While normally she didn't care much for tea, preferring colder drinks, the warm sensation it gave her was a nice counter-balance to the cold flashes she was getting; a side-effect of the poison from Nihilego.

Which reminded her, she had spent the better portion of yesterday (or at least, it was yesterday, before she ended up being sent through time by Celebi, which had just confused her if she was being honest) inside some alien-like Pokémon called Ultra Beasts being used as a puppet to try and manipulate one of her best friends. **That** broke into her top ten.

May was brought out from her musings when Misty, who had been making a point of staying near her ever since their two groups had merged together to keep an eye on her, nudged her with an elbow.

When May looked over to her, she gestured to the table spot in front of her, and, to May's utter elation, there was food! A massive pile of pasta, with lots of sauce, vegetables, and meat mixed together in it.

It was beautiful.

May looked up at Delia with a massive smile plastered on her face and tears lingering in the corner of her eyes, with Delia just returning the smile with a nod before placing down another plate in front of Misty.

"You all need to eat, you look like you've had a hectic day, and nothing helps with tiredness then a plate of good food." She explained, before returning to the kitchen to get more plates. But before she stepped through the door, she turned back to the assembled group. "And that reminds me, you should let your Pokémon out of their balls. They could probably do with some fresh air and food as well."

Not needing any more prompting, everyone began reaching to their belts, and began to release Pokémon after Pokémon, adding to the already large group in the garden, which didn't even include the couple of dozen or so Pokémon that were with Ash in the field.

Soon, the garden was filled to the brim with Pokémon from across the globe, from Kanto to Alola, Hoenn to Sinnoh, and Johto to Unova. There were big Pokémon who lumbered into a sitting position, and small Pokémon who clamoured all over the place in excitement.

Though May didn't want to linger on that in all honestly, there were more important things on her mind. So, the moment her last Pokémon, her Skitty, popped from her Pokéball, she grabbed her knife and fork and began devouring her pasta.

While she did this, she felt a hand be placed on her shoulder, causing her to look up with a food filled mouth at Anabel, who was looking from side to side as she waited for May's response.

"Mmmph?" May murmured through her food, causing Anabel to laugh awkwardly as she wrung her hands together.

"I was wondering if I could borrow you for a second, to… discuss something." She asked, as May chewed through her food.

May looked from her to her plate, contemplating her decisions, before having to lift her plate up when a stubbly arm appeared to try and grab her plate.

Recognising the arm as belonging to her resident glutton, May batted away the short arm with her fork, before lifting her plate up and taking a step toward Anabel, gesturing with her head to lead the way.

Nodding her thanks, Anabel turned and began to walk to the small gate at the edge of the garden, which allowed you to exit the small yet pleasant garden that Delia had made an effort to maintain, before walking to the side of the large white house, leaving the large crowd of conversing people and varying eccentric Pokémon behind till it was just the two of them. Standing in the shadow of the house with the faint sounds of training and socialising fading into the wind.

"Before I begin, I'd like to thank you for obliging to my request. I understand you're not feeling in peak condition right now, so I was worried you'd deny me outright." Anabel began, which May simply waved her hand to in dismissal as she swallowed the mouthful she had.

"It's no problem," May began as she placed her fork on her plate to free her hand up, "because truthfully, I'm not feeling too bad. I get occasional bursts of chills throughout my body, but I think that's just the side effects fading off or whatever. At this point, it's hard to get worked up about it anymore. I mean, it's not the first time I've been absorbed by a bizarre creature after all."

Anabel nodded sagely at this, before she realised what May had just said.

"Wait, what?"

"Not important," May dismissed, taking another quick bite of her pasta before she carried on, "so what was it you wanted to discuss?"

Anabel stared at her in disbelief for a second, before shaking her head, muttering something about 'Ash's weird friends' before she cleared her throat.

"'Discuss' might be the wrong word if I'm being honest, since what I really want to do is warn you."

May raised an eyebrow at this, pointing her fork at herself in confusion.

"Warn me? Warn me of what?"

"Looker."

May's eyebrow dropped from its raised position into a deep frown, as her eyes almost instinctually darted to the side, going in the general direction that she knew Looker was in.

"The police officer? Why? Is he a threat?" May asked, grip tightening on her fork as she began mentally going through her present Pokémon, quickly trying to asses who'd best be able to restrain the grown man. Her first thoughts were either Venusaur or Glaceon, the two being easily capable of binding him with little issue.

But before she could give the matter more thought, Anabel shook her head.

"Threat may be a strong word, but he certainly isn't to be trusted. He knows more about the Ultra Beasts, I know he does. Especially about my own run-in with them."

"You've dealt with Ultra Beasts in the past?" May asked in a harsh whisper, eyes widening at this revelation. "What happened?"

"Well, that's the issue I have," Anabel admitted, "I don't know. I was knocked unconscious one day while training in my Battle Tower, and when I awoke, I was in an International Police base, with Looker having apparently saved my life from the Ultra Beast that attacked me."

Anabel paused for a moment, her hands beginning to grip tightly at the helms of her suit jacket as her whole body began to tense.

"But that's **all** I really knew. The only other information I got given was that the Ultra Beast was dubbed 'UB: Symbiont' and that it had come from another dimension. It was why I joined their Ultra Beast department in the first place: to try and get more information on what happened. But to this day, I still don't know what happened. And that _scares_ me."

Anabel paused, taking a moment to breathe before looking at May dead in the eye.

"So there's something else going on, there must be. I don't know what, but whatever it is, Looker knows. And now he is fully aware of not only Ash's direct involvement with the Ultra Beasts, but that **you** had been possessed by one. I have no idea what that means to him, or what it might prompt him to do. So please, whatever you do; don't take your eyes off him."

May stared at her for a second, her appetite momentarily gone. Her breathing became slightly ragged as she tried to process this. But just as quickly as it came, it passed, before determination set in.

"Why don't we just tell Ash this? With the amount of backup he has, and the determination to solve this entire situation currently fuelling him, he'd be more than willing to force Looker's hand. Arceus, with the amount of Legendaries here, Looker wouldn't dare try anything against Ash…"

"Which is exactly why we're not going to mention it to Ash." Anabel interrupted. "Ash is focusing on the Ultra Beast problem, which means if Looker was to do something, it'd be now. And as much I hate to be in this position, I _need_ to see what it is. So please, I need your help."

May stared at Anabel, her breath temporarily gone. She took a moment to gaze at her food, her appetite now gone as she smacked her, now dry feeling, lips together. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath with her eyes closed, nodded, and then looked at Anabel dead in the eyes.

"Fine. You're right, we need to catch him in the act. But we're not doing it alone." She said with finality, causing Anabel to raise an eyebrow at her.

"And who exactly have you got in mind?"

"Oh, I've got a certain redhead in mind," May smirked, as she turned back to the gathering behind them, "a redhead who already doesn't trust him."

* * *

Sceptile pushed off another tree, launching himself through the canopy as he approached the outskirts of Pewter City.

He, along with Blaziken, Greninja, and Primeape, had been travelling through the vast forests of Kanto, including Viridian Forest, for the past few hours. With Ash's express orders of making sure that Brock was safe, the quartet had gone with all the speed that they could muster and bombed toward the location of Ash's first gym victory.

The journey had been hard, especially since they had to cover several miles of terrain in as little time as possible due to the ever-present threat that loomed over all of them now due to the Ultra Beasts. But they had carried on, unfazed by this daunting task, instead devoting all of their energy and focus into keeping up the intense pace.

Their muscles burned and their breaths were short and ragged, but they had managed to make it; Pewter City gym. They did have to manoeuvre around the edge of the town to get to the gym, since four fully evolved and very powerful Pokémon just sprinting through the main public area of Pewter City _wasn't_ the best idea. But now, staring at the building that resembled a large boulder, they knew they had made it.

Now, it was just a case of actually finding the Rock type gym leader.

The four of them were sitting on a stronger branch, currently looking at the building while they took a moment to catch their breaths and allow their muscles to rest momentarily. However, despite there being nothing to visually indicate anything being out of the ordinary, they were all in silent agreement without so much as sharing a look.

Something was off, majorly off.

"Where is everyone?" Blaziken asked, scratching his chin as they observed the area. And it was a valid question: Pewter City gym was quite popular in Kanto, due to many trainers who had recently started out viewing it as a good gym to start their journey on, due to the many weaknesses that the Rock type had. However, despite being just after midday and a perfect time for someone to be trying to challenge the gym, they couldn't see a single soul in the surrounding area. And it was way too quiet for a battle to already be in progress, since even a simple battle would be audible to the group even from the distance they were sitting at.

And that left the inevitable question: where was everyone?

Not wanting to waste time on questions they all knew they had, the group decided to act. Primeape slapped Blaziken lightly on his chest, before pointing at the main door. He then gestured to Sceptile and Greninja, pointing at the roof. Everyone nodded, hopping off the branch and then running forward the gym.

As they closed the distance, Greninja and Sceptile lept up toward the roof, quickly clawing they way up the sheer surface and finding themselves on a flat plane as they reached the top. Sceptile then spotted an air duct with steam coming out of it, and then waved at Greninja, before signalling that they were going to use the vent

Nodding, Greninja joined Sceptile at the vent, as Sceptile used his Leaf Blades to slice open the cover and dive into the vent, with the pair of them quickly, but quietly, making their way down to a lower level of the ventilation system to see what the situation was.

And it wasn't good.

In the main arena area of the gym, stood Brock, arms crossed, and an annoyed grimace etched onto his face. And standing on the field in front of him with various Pokémon backing them up, were a half dozen individuals in what seemed to be white outfits, almost like a practical sci-fi uniform. And they were all engaged in a shouting match.

"We will not ask you again. You _will_ come with us to Aether Paradise, no objections, and you will do so without causing any issues for us! Am I clear?" The closest white-clothed individual to Brock shouted, which barely caused Brock to so much as flinch.

"Oh, I understand you perfectly. And you better understand that you can't force me to leave **my** gym. So I'm going to have to ask you to leave, or I'll be forced to make you leave. Do I make _myself_ clear?" Brock responded in a deadpan voice, causing the white-clothed man to laugh.

"Do you honestly believe that you can take on all of us? There's six of us, each with three Pokémon each. Even if you had a full team, you'd still be outnumbered three-to-one. So how does that factor in?"

Brock, in response, only smirked, unfolding his arms to reveal that he had a Pokéball already gripped in his hand. With no further prompt, he threw the ball into the air, which popped open to release the beam of white energy.

It pooled in front of Brock, growing in size till it towered over everyone there, and when the energy finally dissipated, standing tall in all his glory, was Brock's Steelix.

The white-clothed man stood there in shock, his mouth opening and closing in shock at the sight of the massive Pokémon. But he then set his jaw in place and raised his hand, signalling all of the present Pokémon under his command to begin getting into battle positions.

But Brock paid no mind to this, instead pressing a button in the ring around his wrist, causing energy to pool around himself and Steelix. The energy began to morph Steelix's shape, causing the already large Steel type to grow even larger, and summoning a floating ring of stones around his neck. After a few seconds, and with newfound determination becoming apparent on Brock's face, Mega Steelix roared a challenge to the small herd of Pokémon in front of him, daring them to try and challenge his powered-up form.

But before either side could make any further move, the front doors to the gym burst open, with Blaziken and Primeape charging in and barrelling into two of the Pokémon, a Drapion and Slaking respectively. Taking this as their signal, Sceptile and Greninja then sliced into the bottom of the vent, dropping down into the arena below.

From there, all-out chaos broke out, with the battle turning into a royal rumble. The Pokémon of the white-clothed individuals were firing attacks at random, the surprise intervention of Sceptile and his companions and with the towering might of Mega Steelix charging into them, any semblance of composure was lost as they reacted on instinct.

Leaving them to be easy pickings for the more experienced Pokémon.

Sceptile slashed an Altaria with a dual Leaf Blade, causing the fluffy Dragon to float backwards as it winced at the attack. Not wanting to give it any recovery time, Sceptile dashed forward, throwing his body into the dragon with a Quick Attack. The attack hit home, causing the flying Pokémon to spiral backwards, before crashing into the ground.

Using the momentum from the Quick Attack, Sceptile spun on the ball of his right foot, spinning himself around to face the Haunter that had been trying to sneak up on him, much to its shock. Taking advantage of this opening, Sceptile fired a Leaf Storm point-blank, the attack carrying the Haunter off, throwing it into a Sawk that was about to fire a ranged attack at Sceptile, causing the both of them to roll into a bundle.

Rushing over to them with Quick Attack, Sceptile charged another pair of Leaf Blades, and slashed twice, one each for the pair of them, the attacks knocking both Pokémon unconscious before they could get their feat back under them. Keeping his Leaf Blades charged for another attack, Sceptile rolled over the pair, raising his blades in a defensive stance to block any potential attack from behind.

But much to his disappointment, the battle was already over. Between the five of them, they had taken care of all of the Pokémon, with their trainers already running out the door, desperately recalling their Pokémon as they went. Not feeling the need to pursue, Sceptile and the others dropped the charged attacks they had, and began walking over to Brock, who had just recalled Steelix and was thanking him for his help.

With that dealt with, Brock turned his attention to his unexpected reinforcements with a small smile.

"Hey guys, I appreciate the help. I must admit, I didn't think I'd see any of you, considering that Ash is meant to be in Alola, and May in Sinnoh. So, what can I help you with?" Brock asked in a friendly manner, which Sceptile disregarded. He then looked at Primeape and nodded at him. Primeape simply acknowledged him, before grabbing Brock and slinging him over his shoulder.

"Hey, wait!" Brock shouted in shock as he was slung onto the Pig Pokémon's shoulder, before the four of them then broke into a sprint, running out of the gym and into Viridian Forest, leaving only a slightly singed and scarred battlefield in their wake.

* * *

Another explosion rang out in the field, sending pieces of grass tuft and dirt flying as two powerful Flamethrowers clashed into each other.

Infernape and Charizard both landed back on the ground, before darting toward one another, Charizard gliding across the ground with Infernape sprinting full-force toward him. Just before the two clashed, Infernape suddenly dived left, rolling out of the way by rolling into a Flame Wheel, narrowly avoiding Charizard's wing as it began to glow, the Wing Attack hitting nothing but air.

Charizard then flung his wings open, catching huge swathes of air to slow him down, before folding one in on himself to cause him to spin, catching his legs on the ground and digging in to further help slow him down. But as he brought himself to a stop, Infernape rounded onto him, using the momentum of his sprint to boost his Flame Wheel, going into a wide arc to circle toward Charizard before letting the flames die out and proceeding to go in for a high kick.

The kick connected, hitting Charizard square into the chest and causing the dragon-like Fire type to wince at the strike. But in response, Charizard pulled back his fist, clenching his claws tight as he retaliated with a Mega Punch, catching Infernape in the jaw and causing him to spin in the air before hitting the ground.

But he did not stay down from this attack, instead digging into the ground, clawing away at the dirt and escaping Charizard's follow-up attack of Dragon Breath. He quickly tunnelled through the ground, circling Charizard before bursting out of the ground, returning the favour by striking Charizard with a Mach Punch, the pure force being apparent even to Infernape as shockwaves travelled up his arm and almost knocking him off balance.

Though he held on, and Charizard did not, as he began to crash to the ground.

As Charizard hit the ground, Infernape began to summon flames in his throat, ready to counter whatever Charizard had planned. His eye caught Charizard's claws beginning to glow and prepared to scorch him before he could close the distance.

However, he hadn't taken into account Charizard's _large_ wingspan, as the wings unfurled and almost caught Infernape in the face, just narrowly feeling it brush against his nose. But due to his leaning back to avoid the attack, he was unable to aim the Flamethrower at him, ad he began to realign his shot. But the angry fire-type was on his feet, and he looked determined.

First, he caught Infernape in the chest with a slash, before immediately following it up with a Flamethrower, forcing Infernape back a few steps. With some newfound space, Charizard spun round, smashing Infernape with a charged-up Dragon Tail and sending him flying. As he completed his arc, he saw Infernape, now looking much more beat-up, swallow down the flames in his mouth, before an aura of flame erupted around his form, and before Charizard could even get a defence up, Infernape charged into him full-force with a Flare Blitz, the attack knocking both of them onto the ground.

They remained on the ground for a few seconds, both of them taking heavy breaths as they laid there. Sparing each other a fleeting glance, they both smirked at each other before they began to pick themselves up, their flames burning all the brighter as they dragged their bodies off the ground.

As they finally got their feet back under them, a voice interrupted their training session.

"Good job guys, I've seen enough! Get back here for a moment, would ya?" Ash shouted from his spot in the middle of the field, where several of his Pokémon were sparring, just like Charizard and Infernape were.

With the spar over, and their battle lust temporarily satisfied, the two fire types went over to Ash, who was looking incredibly pleased.

"That was great you guys, it's good to see that you've not been slacking while I've been away. But we can still get better, and I know exactly what you two need to work on." Ash praised, before adopting a slightly more serious look as he began to point at Infernape.

"Infernape, your speed and reactions are amazing, and your power is something we know you can push further if we need you too thanks to your Blaze, so we don't need to work on that. Even against Charizard, who's not exactly an easy Pokémon to knock down, you managed to get a lot of good hits in. But I couldn't help but notice that your moves against him were limited. Due to his typing, you didn't have a single move that was super effective."

Infernape nodded at this, as he mentally ran through the types of moves he knew: fire, normal, ground, and fighting. Not exactly a bad selection, but against a fire-flying type like Charizard, he was really struggling to deal any lasting damage. Having more moves at his disposal would definitely be useful.

Ash, while Infernape was thinking about this, was conferring with Rotom-Dex, looking through what moves Infernape could learn before his eyes lit up.

"Ok, according to Rotom, you can learn a good number of moves from the TMs the Mews gave me, including Aerial Ace, Shadow Claw, and Stone Edge. Head over to my Mum, and I'll be over to use the TMs for you. Once we've done that, you can spend the rest of the day practicing those moves.

Infernape nodded at this, before turning to walk toward Delia, which turned into a quick jog when he saw that she had put out food. As he headed off, Ash turned to Charizard.

"Charizard," Ash started, his first fire type giving him his undivided attention, "you need to work on using your other moves more. You've got a lot of power and a good variety of moves ready to go, but you tend to not use them. That might be my fault, for making you stick with a small amount of moves for each fight, but we need to break that habit. I know you've got the adaptability to match your power, so we'll work on quickly switching between your moves. That way, you can be ready for everything."

Charizard smirked at this, giving Ash a quick thumbs up, before his smirk turned sinister, and before Ash could question it, he fired a Flamethrower straight at him. But he was rewarded for his effort with an untouched Ash, his blasted Entei shirt still managing to protect him.

Which only caused Ash to awkwardly laugh.

"Erm, better luck next time?"

Charizard spat out the leftover flame in his mouth, before making his way over to Delia for a quick snack, leaving Ash to be approached by Suicune.

"I must admit, I'm impressed. I knew you were a competent trainer, but I wasn't expecting this." She admitted, which Ash just shrugged at.

"Honestly, I don't think I'm usually this good. Normally I only do this kind of dedicated training to deal with specific situations. Usually rematches or upcoming battles with my rivals. My normal training isn't this intense." Ash admitted, causing Suicune to raise her brow at him.

"Is that right? Then I'm glad I get to see what you are truly capable of, because it is a true spectacle to behold."

Ash nodded, before something sparked in his eye, causing his excitement to spike as he suddenly turned toward Suicune.

"Hey Suicune, do you want to start **your** training?" He said giddily, taking Suicune aback slightly.

"My training?" She questioned, which Ash nodded excitedly to.

"Yeah! You may be a Legendary, but I bet you could be so much stronger with some training. So, lets see where you're at with a battle."

Suicune just chuckled at the teen, before she glanced over the training Pokémon.

"While your optimism is infectious, I doubt there's much you could teach me. Nor do I think any of your Pokémon could _truly_ challenge me enough to make the training worth it. Though I do appreciate the thought." Suicune said, eyeing Ash out of the corner of her eye.

Because truthfully, she didn't really believe that. While she knew she was very powerful, and that a lot of Ash's Pokémon, or at least out of those he currently had, couldn't really match her, she knew she could learn a lot from Ash. It was part of the reason why she allowed him to catch her: so he could better her as a battler.

But at the same time, she wanted to test Ash, and not in the physical sense. She wanted to test his mindset.

She knew that Ash was a kind-hearted person; there was no doubt about that. No, instead she wanted to see how he'd react to such arrogance and confidence. She was curious to see how he'd react to a Legendary casually dismissing his efforts. Would he be disheartened, thinking he wasn't worthy to train a Legendary? Would he get angry, the doubting of his abilities being an insult? Or would he be shocked, not expecting a Pokémon who allowed herself to get caught immediately causing problems for him?

She was immensely curious to find out.

However, to her surprise, Ash just smirked, as he held out a clenched fist to her.

"Is that a challenge? Because I bet that me and one of my Pokémon could beat you in a battle." He challenged.

Suicune just stared at him, before a small smile tugged at her lips.

'Oh, this is gonna be good.'

"I'll take that bet." She responded, causing Ash's smirk to grow even larger, before he shouted out to the training Pokémon.

"Bulbasaur! Come here a sec! I need your help!"

Suicune tilted her head slightly, inwardly shocked at this.

'Bulbasaur?' She thought, as the small grass type ran over to Ash, before he explained the situation. She expected Bulbasaur, who she had bonded well with earlier, to be shocked at this, and not feeling up to the task. But instead, Ash's smirked seemed infectious, as Bulbasaur began to match it as he locked eyes with Suicune.

The challenge was on!

She soon found herself staring opposite the trainer and his Pokémon in one of their improvised arenas, the pair seeming in sync as they both lowered their body in preparation for the coming battle, waiting for Suicune to make the agreed upon first move.

Despite knowing she should have the natural advantage, being a Legendary fighting against a first-evolution Pokémon, she couldn't help but feel… nervous, in a sense. She knew this battle wasn't going to be like anything she was used to, and she was wary of how Ash seemed to thrive under pressure.

But at the same time, she was _excited_. She was looking forward to seeing what he was capable of, and how he'd deal with fighting her. So, with adrenaline pumping through her veins, and the northern winds flowing through her mane, she lept forward, darting forward toward Bulbasaur.

"Use Razor Leaf!" Ash commanded, with Bulbasaur immediately complying, sharp projectiles now darting toward her.

Suicune seemed confused by this, but casually sidestepped the attack regardless, her attack run now off-course but completely clear of the attack. Why would Ash order such a simple attack? Unless he was starting out slow.

'Big mistake.' She grinned to herself, before Ash shouted out another command, causing her moment of satisfaction to completely disappear.

"Now use Vine Whip, aim for her legs!"

Just as Suicune passed Bulbasaur, and before she could slow down or correct herself, several green vines shot out from Bulbasaur's bulb, clamouring to grab her legs. Most of them failed to reach their mark, but one managed to snag her front right leg, which pulled taut as soon as it wrapped around her leg.

The sudden tether pulled her leg under her, causing her body to tumble to the side, crashing into the earth with a thud which sent a shock through her entire body. For a brief moment, as her body continued to plough through the earth with little sign of slowing down, everything else faded for Suicune except for one feeling.

Exhilaration.

She had been outplayed from the get-go, and she should have seen it coming. Her gift to Ash had given her main strategy away, allowing Ash to already plan a counter to it. Cause her to abandon her attack run before knocking her off balance and allowing physics to take care of the rest.

She should have seen it coming, but at the same time, how could she? It was brilliant. She was beginning to see why so many respected him.

Finally coming to a stop, she got back up to see a bright light surrounding Bulbasaur, before he pushed his bulb up, aiming it directly at her.

Realising that he was firing another attack, Suicune responded by firing a Hydro Pump, which collided with the Solar Beam attack in a spectacular explosion. As the explosion faded, Suicune couldn't help but momentarily marvel at how the leftover light from the Solar Beam refracted in the remaining drops of water from her attack.

She then shook her head clear, allowing the north wind to manifest around her, firing off a gust attack which pushed Bulbasaur back. With this newfound space, she charged forward yet again, now more wary of Ash's tactics.

However, Ash and Bulbasaur both grinned in unison, seemingly knowing something disastrous to Suicune that she didn't know about.

"Sleep Powder!"

'Ah.' Suicune thought as she found herself right in front of Bulbasaur right as he released a cloud of spores in her face. 'That'll be it.'

The last thing she remembered before her world went dark was the realisation that she, a mighty Legendary, had been outplayed and outmatched. And she couldn't be prouder of her opponent.

'Guess I have much to learn.' She mused, as her eyes closed with the ground inches away from her face.

When she next opened them, both Ash and Bulbasaur were standing over her, concern etched onto both of their faces as they crowded round her.

Suicune noted mentally that they were asking her questions, mostly about her wellbeing, which she absentmindedly nodded to. She _was_ fine after all, besides her pride. But all that meant was that she could get better.

And under Ash, she could be _incredible_.

* * *

A thunderous sound echoed out at the base of Mt. Moon, a sound which caused many of the local Pokémon to scatter, as they thought impending doom was afoot.

It wasn't, but they didn't really know that.

Instead, what was coming toward them was a wall of muscle and fur, determination set onto the many faces in the wall as they charged forward, undergoing a mission that they needed to complete to the best of their ability.

However, they slowly began to slow down, and the herd of Tauros took a moment to collect their breath.

Before they started shouting.

"WE'VE FOUND NO ONE!"

"WE'VE TRAVELLED THE WHOLE REGION FOR NOTHING!"

"WE'VE BEEN WASTING OUR TIME!"

"WE'VE NOT BEEN SEEN FOR ABOUT SIX CHAPTERS NOW!"

"THIS IS DISGRACEFUL!"

The herd kept on venting their frustration at no one in particular, their annoyance of not being able to help Ash, their trainer and spiritual leader of the herd, beginning to get to them.

But after a few minutes, they managed to calm down, before the leader began to take control of the situation.

"Alright boys listen up! We've not done a great job, if I'm being honest. We've not found anyone, and we've searched the whole region. If there's anyone in Kanto who we haven't found, then we need to accept that there must be a reason for that. So, here's the plan. We're gonna head back to Pallet Town. We're gonna have lunch. And then Ash will tell us what to do next!"

The herd erupted at this, before a chant began to sound out.

"LUNCH! LUNCH! LUNCH! LUNCH! LUNCH!"

And with their chant agreed on, the herd began moving again, with a new destination.

And plenty of shenanigans to be had.

Tapu Koko blitzed through the air, finally arriving at the Altar of the Moone. The Altar of the Moone was one of two Altars that existed on Poni Island, each existing for one of the two powerful Legendaries that watched over the Alola region.

While the Tapus would watch over the individual Islands for day-to-day problems, they were just part of the protection for the region which existed. For most major problems, the Legendaries Lunala and Solgaleo would intervene, using their immense power to deal with any adversaries they came across. Which was why the pair of Altars existed; a sign of gratitude from the humans of Alola.

However, it also served as a communication point for them and the Tapus, allowing the Tapus to have some way of contacting them while they were in an Ultra Wormhole or separate dimension.

Or, in this case, for them to contact the Tapus.

Which had never happened before.

So here Tapu Koko was, fear entrenched deep into his being as he scoured the area. After finding no sign of Lunala, the one who had sent the message which had instilled the fear into him, he glanced over at his companions, who were also keeping an eye out for the Moone Pokémon.

Suddenly, a hole in the sky opened up, and tumbling out of it came a mass of light and energy, crashing straight into the Altar and devastating it with the shockwave alone. When the dust cleared, Lunala was there, and she was struggling with…

What _was_ she struggling with?

It looked somewhat similar to Solgaleo, but Solgaleo didn't have dark armour plates covering his body, looking more like a creature of war than a guardian of light. And it seemed to be blasting Lunala point-blank.

Not wanting to waste any more time on questions, Tapu Koko fired a Thunderbolt, with Tapu Lele backing him up with a quick Moonblast, and the two Genesect firing a pair of Hyper Beams at the creature.

The attacks hit home, causing a massive dust cloud as it kicked up some of the rubbery in the surrounding area. But when the cloud cleared, the creature seemed unharmed.

Though now its attention was on them.

The creature glared at them, the red eyes filled with a mindless hate and hunger as it growled at the group.

It then began stalking toward them, beginning to glow as it did. Not three steps away from Lunala it took, before the slight glow turned into a blinding light, forcing all of them to cover their eyes in an attempt to shield them.

When the glow died away, the creature they were facing was no longer the same, now looking nothing like Solgaleo.

And more like a monster.

Floating in front of them was a towering monstrosity, looking like an angelic dragon sent to smite them. It had two pairs of wings, which gave off their own light as they flapped in a slow repeating pattern, keeping the creature afloat. It's body parts that weren't composed of what seemed to be pure light were covered in golden armour plates, including its head which had a draconic shape to it.

It then began to charge energy in its mouth, the ball easily surpassing any of the quartet in size. And it simply kept growing. Wind and clouds began to swirl around it as it continued to grow, eventually outgrowing even the monstrosity that was charging it. Tapu Koko could only stare in horror as the massive orb seemed to crackle with energy, the small waves that bubbled on the surface looking powerful enough to level mountains.

And then it fired the move.

It was like a wave of light, followed by an indescribable pain. It washed over them like a tsunami, and battered them like a thousand falling trees, each repeatedly falling onto their bodies. Everything after that was just a blur of pain to Tapu Koko, his consciousness fading in and out as he felt his body collapse.

When the light finally faded, which Tapu Koko was somehow conscious for, he could just about see that his companions had not been as lucky and were completely out cold. And the creature that had done the damage was no longer there, having reverted to the form it had before, and was slowly stalking toward them.

Tap Koko tried to float upwards, to defend his unconscious companions, but found his body unwilling to comply. He was helpless.

But before he could panic over this discovery, a blue beam blasted the creature, sending it flying over Tapu Koko's head. It crashed through one of the many statues, before it rolled back onto its feet and unleashed a blood curdling roar. But with that, it opened up a portal and darted through it, leaving Tapu Koko, and the just as barely conscious Lunala, to lie there in agony.

And all Tapu Koko could think was about how much they needed help.

"We need Ash."

* * *

Hey everyone, TWoS here, and I've finally got this chapter out.

Sorry for taking so long to upload, especially since this chapter isn't nearly long enough to justify the gap. Truthfully, I had every event in this chapter planned out after like a week of releasing the last chapter. But after that, progress just ground to a halt. A combination of work, me struggling to make progress with my personal projects (which I've done very little on), and just life in general, has delayed this chapter for a while. So hopefully, you'll enjoy this chapter and think it was worth the wait.

Or at the very least, I hope you do.

Ignoring that, I'm quite proud of this chapter. A decent amount has happened, including some much-needed training. The next few chapters will all include some training segments, each focusing on different Pokémon, even some from different characters. But don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the gifts. I'm just trying to space them out a bit more so that I don't run out of ideas really quickly again and have to come up with another event to keep the story going while I think of more gifts.

So, for that reason, I'm going to make a promise. Next chapter is going to include a gift from a Legendary: no exceptions. I have a pretty good idea of who it is I'm going to use and what the gift will be, but nothing is set in stone. So, if you have any Legendaries you want to show up or any gift ideas you want to share before the next chapter, let me know.

As always, I want to thank you for the amazing support. You guys are amazing. You have no idea how much each review and favourite means to me, so I just want to thank you all for that. Hopefully this chapter meets your standards and you enjoy it. Please continue to leave your reviews or to message me via a PM, as I love reading them and interacting with you when I can.

Other than that, I'm done for this chapter. See you all whenever I decide to dedicate time to this story, so much love, peace – TWoS.


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